The Scarlet Omen
by Cara Lea
Summary: Rainpaw, Pearlpaw, and Mousepaw were not supposed to be born. From the moment of their conception, the Clan has whispered about them. What kind of medicine cat doesn't follow the code? What kind of kits will she have? Who is their father, and why did he never claim them? Book 2 of The Clans arc *Monday Updates*
1. Allegiances

**WindClan**

Leader- Maizestar- golden brown tom with dark amber eyes.

Deputy- Rustpelt- reddish tom with blue eyes and darker chest.  
 _apprentice- Rainpaw_

Medicine cat- Jumpleaf- gray she-cat with amber eyes.  
 _apprentice- Auburnpaw- tuxedo she-cat with a reddish tint and yellow eyes._

 **Warriors**

Silverfrost\- Silver starry she-cat with blue eyes.  
Wolfmask\- Gray tabby tom with darker markings  
Thorntooth\- gray tom with amber eyes.  
Smokesoul\- a black tom with a dark gray chest and gold eyes.  
 _apprentice- Tigerpaw_  
Stemclaw\- golden she-cat with amber eyes.  
 _apprentice- Beetlepaw  
_ Lilypool\- tan she-cat with white paws and green eyes.  
 _apprentice- Brightpaw_  
Patchcloud\- black and white she-cat with ice blue eyes.  
 _apprentice- Forestpaw_  
Pineclaw\- A brownish red tom with yellow eyes.  
Jadesong-belianese with brown and cream color point and brilliant green eyes  
 _apprentice- Warriorpaw_  
Fierceheart\- red tom with dark brown eyes.  
 _apprentice- Sparrowpaw_  
Sedgeclaw\- golden she-cat with amber eyes.  
Nightspots\- black she-cat with dark blue eyes.  
Bluedapple\- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes. Former Medicine Cat  
Talonwhisker\- dark tabby tom with amber eyes.  
 _apprentice- Phloxpaw_  
Crowswoop\- black tom with green eyes. _Originally of ThunderClan  
_ _apprentice- Pearlpaw_  
Smilecloud\- gray she-cat with amber eyes.  
Adderclaw\- brown tom with amber eyes.  
Pale-eyes\- cream she cat with light blue eyes.  
 _apprentice- Mousepaw_  
Hawkfall\- brown tom with green eyes.  
 _apprentice- Flamepaw_  
Owlflight\- black tom with amber eyes.  
Leapwind\- golden she-cat with long fur, green eyes.  
Leopardstripe\- long haired grey she-cat with darker spots like a snow leopard and blue eyes.  
Orchidfur\- orange tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes.  
Echospring\- long-haired brown tabby she-cat with wide amber eyes.  
Runningstorm\- handsome black tabby tom  
Sparrowclaw\- dark brown tabby tom with lighter markings

 **Apprentices**  
Tigerpaw\- a orange tom with black stripes and tiger eyes.  
Sparrowpaw\- golden brown she-cat with white underbelly and paws with golden green eyes.  
Forestpaw\- red tabby she-cat with green eyes  
Beetlepaw\- light brown tom with dark brown eyes.  
Houndpaw\- Russian blue tom with purple eyes.  
Warriorpaw-black tom with green eyes  
Pearlpaw\- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes.  
Mousepaw\- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes.  
Rainpaw\- dark gray tom with amber eyes.  
Flamepaw\- Bright ginger tabby tom with brown paws  
Brightpaw\- Pretty creamy-colored tabby she-cat with darker paws

 **Queens**  
Cloverleaf\- A white she-cat with a dappled brown coat and brown tail with green eyes. Mother of Thorntooth's kits. **_Kits:_** _Cloudkit, Stainkit, Splotchkit, Skykit, Gorsekit_  
Hollypool\- black she-cat with light blue eyes. _Originally of ThunderClan._ Mother of Smokecloud's[ThunderClan] kits **_kits:_** _Toadkit, Gougekit, Heatherkit  
_ Pushleaf\- gray she-cat with dark amber eyes. Mother of Fierceheart's kits: _**kits:**_ _Saborkit  
_ Larchwing\- golden she-cat with amber eyes. _Carrying Smokesoul's kits_

 **kits**  
Stainkit\- orange and cream tom with gray eyes.  
Splotchkit\- gray tom with darker spots and amber eyes.  
Gorsekit\- mottled brown she-cat with amber eyes.  
Skykit\- gray she-cat with amber eyes.  
Cloudkit\- white tom with dark gray eyes.  
Saborkit\- fluffy calico tomcat with sharp teeth, a weak eye and green eyes  
Gougekit\- dark gray tom with black splotches and amber eyes.  
Toadkit\- spotted dark tabby tom with amber eyes.  
Heatherkit\- gray she-cat with darker splotches and flecked blue eyes.

 **Elders**  
Galecoal\- golden and black she-cat with amber eyes.  
Smallscratch\- gray tom-cat with amber eyes.

 **SkyClan**

Leader- Tanglestar- old brown tabby tom with wizened amber eyes.

Deputy- Rightheart- gray tabby tomcat with white patches and green eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Snowpaw_

Medicine cat- Yarrowleaf- older tabby tomcat with amber eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Yellowpaw- blue gray tomcat with white stripes and amber eyes._

 **Warriors** :

Quietstep-white tom with a cream ringed tail, cream paws, ear tips, muzzle, green eyes  
Diamondleaf\- beautiful white she-cat with bright green eyes  
Streamripple-a brown tabby tom with ice blue eyes.  
Spottedlily\- orange-brown colored she-cat with black spots and green eyes.  
Scorchgaze\- orange tabby tom with dark stripes, amber eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Lionpaw  
_ Tigerfang\- ginger tom with a white tail. Originally of RiverClan.  
Morningrise\- golden colored she-cat with white paws and chest with bright green eyes  
Ravenswoop\- slick black she-cat with white on chest white toes and dark blue eyes.  
Brilliantheart\- huge gray tomcat with strange green eyes.  
Shademoss\- dark gray tom with green eyes.  
Holiday\- pretty dappled she-cat. Small with one golden eye, one green.  
 _Apprentice- Ivypaw  
_ Duskstorm\- creamy-colored tabby tom with a white chest, underbelly, two white paws, and dark blue eyes  
Falconblaze\- handsome black tom with dark gray chest and paws, and forest green eyes.  
Tawnyheart\- slim light brown she-cat with white and black splashes with fiery amber eyes  
Callaleaf\- cute creamy white she-cat with green blue eyes  
Blackpelt\- black tom with two tan stripes running from top of his head to the end of his back and green eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Bravepaw  
_ Featherwing\- light grey tom with white stripes, a long fluffy tail, and icey blue eyes.  
Crowtail\- black tom with blue eyes.  
Thorntail\- large golden-colored tabby tom, with white paws, a nicked ear and bright green eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Sunpaw  
_ Burntheart\- small black tom with green eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Strongpaw  
_ Juniperleaf\- slender brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes  
Galewing\- slim silver tabby tom with yellow eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Berrypaw  
_ Skyheart\- lean grey tom with blue eyes  
Mousepelt\- brown tortoiseshell she-cat with pretty green eyes and white muzzle.

 **Apprentices:**

Snowpaw\- white tom with dark blue eyes.  
Berrypaw\- dappled gray she-cat with amber eyes.  
Sunpaw\- small golden tom with amber eyes.  
Bravepaw\- dark tom with white patches.  
Strongpaw\- black tom with long claws and green eyes.  
Ivypaw\- pale gray she-cat with big green eyes and white paws.  
Lionpaw\- golden tabby tom with amber eyes.

 **Queens:**

Mistybreeze\- pretty light gray tabby she-cat with one white paw, white ear and tail tips, and blue eyes. Mother of Shademoss's kits. **Kits:** _Chillkit, Shiverkit_

 **Elders:**

Finchfang\- golden tom with white underbelly and green eyes. Retired early.  
Mossheart\- grumpy old gray and white she-cat.  
Hushpool\- dark brown she-cat with brown eyes.

 **RiverClan**

Leader- Ripplestar- muscular gray tom with black paws, tail, and ear tips.

Deputy- Heronflight- gray and black tom with green/blue eyes.

Medicine cat- Kestrelsong- brown she-cat with lighter flecks and grey eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Primlily- small dappled she-cat._

 **Warriors:**

Moongaze\- silver gray she-cat with blue eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Irispaw  
_ Archclaw\- brown tabby tom with amber eyes.  
Brindlesnap\- light gray she-cat with green eyes.  
Oddclaw\- dark brown tom with green eyes and a twisted paw.  
 _Apprentice- Shellpaw  
_ Wrentalon\- bright red she-cat with blue eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Silentpaw  
_ Oatpatch\- brown tom with dark underbelly.  
Fenneltail\- pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.  
Laceye\- light grey she-cat with pretty golden eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Flashpaw  
_ Whiteriver\- white tom with blue eyes.  
Snowdapple\- white she-cat with dark blue eyes.  
Otterfoot\- brown tom with blue eyes.  
Ivyrush\- dark tortoiseshell she-cat, green eyes.  
Sablefur\- creamy white she-cat with brown eyes.  
Vixentail\- small brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Pepperpaw  
_ Fawnfeather\- light brown she-cat with green eyes.  
Nettleprick\- small pretty brown she-cat with white chest and paws.  
Applefur\- golden brown she-cat with long whiskers and golden eyes.  
Mintpool\- white she-cat with green eyes.  
Larchrobin\- brown she-cat with amber eyes.  
Voleburrow\- white tom with brown splotches, green eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Minnowpaw  
_ Silversnow\- silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes.  
Nighthoot\- black she-cat with amber eyes.  
Mudsting\- mottled brown tom with green eyes.  
Beechtail\- small brown tabby tom with amber eyes.  
Dampthorn\- large gray tabby tom, amber eyes.

 **Apprentices**

Minnowpaw\- dark gray tabby she-cat.  
Pepperpaw\- spotted gray tom with blue eyes.  
Shellpaw\- dark gray she-cat with blue eyes.  
Silentpaw\- black tom with white patches.  
Irispaw\- small tabby she-cat with green eyes.  
Flashpaw\- orange tabby tom with amber eyes.

 **Queens**

Poppypelt\- dark tabby she-cat with grey eyes. _Mother of Oddclaw's kits: Rushkit, Houndkit  
_ Scillashadow\- small black she-cat with amber eyes. _Mother of Archclaw's kits:_ _ **none yet  
**_ Morningbird\- pretty sandy tabby she-cat with amber eyes. _Mother of Heronflight's kits: Gravelkit, Newtkit, Weaselkit, Fallingkit_

 **Elders**

Sandpelt\- golden she-cat with amber eyes.  
Tanglefur\- black and gray silver eyed she-cat.  
Icebreath\- white she-cat with ice blue eyes.

 **ThunderClan**

Leader- Runningstar- black and white tom with amber eyes.

Deputy- Nymphspirit- fluffy white she-cat with brown spots and gray eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Thymepaw_

Medicine cat- Greenheart- blind blue tom with blue eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Deaconlight- orange tabby tom with white ears and tail tip._

 **ShadowClan**

Leader: Lynxstar- cream and white she-cat with blue eyes.

Deputy: Ashcloud- light grey she-cat, with silver paws and green eyes.

Medicine cat: Serrafang- brown and white she-cat with green eyes.


	2. Prologue

The moon shone down on the moor, illuminating the purple heather. Where the ground plateaued out, an encampment of heather swathed the moorlands, forming a clearing big enough for many cats to stay at once. During the day, cats came and went from this camp regularly, patrolling the territory and tunneling underneath.

However now, most of the cats had gathered together in clearing. They were sitting in small clumps, casting shadowed glances at one particular batch of heather. This den was set in the gorse wall. From it emanated an eerie wailing. The cats fur was fluffed up, their eyes wide with worry. They whispered amongst themselves, occasionally glancing up at the stars twinkling heavenward.

Abruptly, the cries from the camp wall came to a stop. The cats stopped talking, pricking their ears as a gray she-cat came from within the entangled brambles. They all watched as she padded over to a large golden tom sitting next to a red tabby. His amber eyes watched her progress the entire way. "How is it, Jumpleaf?"

The she-cat paused before the two toms and dipped her head. "She is strong, Maizestar," Jumpleaf answered. Her voice was light, but he could tell she was not happy. "Three strong kits. Two she-kits and a tom."

Maizestar bowed his head. "This is good news," he said in his deep voice. "How the Clan needs kits…"

Jumpleaf didn't answer. "They will train into fine warriors," his companion said with a nod.

"Maizestar," called a pretty she-cat with amber eyes. "Are you really planning on keeping these kits?"

Maizestar's pelt prickled, his eyes boring into the she-cat. "What else would I do with them, Stemclaw?"

The she-cat bristled. "Get rid of them, of course!" she spat.

A dark tabby prowled forward until he was standing next to the she-cat. His muscles rippled under his shadowed pelt, and his voice was deep as he growled, "Take them to the Thunderpath and leave them there. Send their mother along with them, for that matter."

"Deathberries would be more merciful," another cat from the crowd added. "Not that she deserves it."

Maizestar's eyes gleamed in the starlight. "I would never deliberately kill a kit!" he hissed. "How can you even speak of this under StarClan?"

Stemclaw snarled, "These kits should never have been born! Their mother broke the most sacred of codes by daring to have them!"

Maizestar shifted on his paws, looking openly uncomfortable for the first time that night. "Bluedapple gave up her position as medicine cat as soon as she realized she would be having kits," he murmured softly. "So technically, these kits are not the kits of a medicine cat."

The golden she-cat bared her teeth. "That means she conceived them while she was still a medicine cat. She took a mate when she shouldn't have. You're just going to let her get away with it?" Before her leader could answer, she swung her head around to face the red tom. "And what about you, Rustpelt? What do you think?"

Rustpelt shrugged, "Kits are a blessing from StarClan. No matter what their mother did, we cannot blame these kits."

Stemclaw snarled viciously, many cats in the Clan muttering agreeably from behind her. "These kits are a curse to our Clan!" she declared. "They will bring darkness to us. WindClan will feel the wrath of StarClan unless we dispose of them now!"

Several of the cats jeered from behind, caught up in her words. "That's right," the dark tabby said from beside her. "Already, we have lost Lilypool."

"Yes," Stemclaw said, nodding to her partner. "Are you so sure these kits are a blessing, Rustpelt, after the death of your mate? The mother of your kits?"

Rustpelt's eyes shone with grief in the moonlight. "Lilypool's death was a tragedy. However, I cannot make the connection between her death and these kits. I know she is looking down on us from StarClan right now, proud of who our kits are becoming. She wouldn't want me to deliberately harm another cat in our Clan, especially ones so young."

Stemclaw stepped forward until she was nose to nose with the red tabby. "She would want you to protect your Clan by getting rid of those abominations!" she snarled, her fangs glittering in the moonlight.

Maizestar seemed to have had enough. "Stemclaw, step down _now_!" he ordered, his voice carrying authority only ages of leading could have brought him. For a moment, the she-cat still stood glaring at her deputy with hatred in her eyes. Finally, she stepped back and sat down, her fur beginning to lie flat again. Once she had backed down, Maizestar continued, "You are not a medicine cat, Stemclaw. Do not forget I have shared with StarClan."

"You are not a medicine cat either," the dark tabby countered. "Perhaps we should ask someone who is."

Maizestar, who's fur had prickled at his warrior's open dissent, bowed his head in agreement. "That is a good idea. Jumpleaf," he addressed the gray she-cat. "do you believe these kits are an omen from StarClan that we must get rid of?"

With everyone staring at the she-cat, it was clear that she was uncomfortable. She shifted on her paws, and glanced around the Clan before answering. "I can't pretend I'm happy with Bluedapple's decision, but I will not lie. StarClan have not spoken to me about them."

"Well then," Maizestar said, sounding a bit more cheerful. "We should give thanks to StarClan for three precious new lives in our Clan. These three will make fine warriors," he continued, ignoring the outbreak of surprised muttering. "StarClan, we thank you for three new lives in WindClan. With your guidance, I pray that you help their paws on the path that will lead to greatness in your name, and I pray that their loyalty never waver. WindClan will grow strong in your glory!"


	3. Chapter 1

Bluedapple was fussing again. "Mother, stop!" Rainkit complained as her tongue lapped over a tuft of fur between his ears. On his right, Mousekit ducked as Bluedapple swipped her tongue on her ears. "I don't need washing!" his sister declared.

To the left, however, Pearlkit leaned into their mother's touch, her cheeks bunched up in the corners as she smiled. "I'm really gonna miss you," she murmured nervously.

"Mouse-brain!" Rainkit threw at her. "Don't you _want_ to be an apprentice?"

Pearlkit's amber eyes rounded. "Of course!"

"Don't tease your sister," Bluedapple chastised. "And sit still, all of you! I want you looking your best for your apprentice ceremony."

"Why?" Rainkit asked belligerently. "No one's going to come." He tried to picture his grumpy Clanmates stalking from their dens, all glaring at him at once as Maizestar named him an apprentice. Sometimes it felt like no one in the Clan liked him. Even from nicer warriors, he always got strange, hostile looks.

"That's not true!" Bluedapple responded as usual. "You know many in the Clan are still grieving."

Not long after Rainkit and his littermates at been born, many cats in the Clan had died from a mysterious illness their medicine cat had not been able to cure. Rainkit could still list off the names, as they were repeated so many times whenever he was around, he knew them all. Lilypool, Stemclaw, Jadesong, Smokesoul, Warriorpaw, Cloverleaf…in the end, even the kits were not safe. Splotchkit, one of Cloverleaf's kits, had caught the fever and died the same night as his mother. Rainkit could still remember Thorntooth standing over them, yelling aggressively how they had murdered his son…

"Don't lie," Rainkit snaped bitterly. "We know the Clan hates us cause you were a medicine cat."

Mousekit gasped. Bluedapple's eyes widened. "Stop it, Rainkit!" Pearlkit pleaded. "You're ruining our big day!"

Rainkit bowed his head miserably. "Some day," he commented dryly.

Warm fur brushed his chin as Bluedapple lifted his head with her tail. "Pearlkit's right, Rainkit," she said briskly. "If you mope about, you're not going to make any new friends."

Rainkit tried to push his sourness to the side. Today _was_ their big day. Throughout his whole life, he'd only had Mousekit and Pearlkit to rely on. How could he ruin this special day for them? "Sorry Pearlkit," he sighed.

"It's okay!" Pearlkit trilled. "I can't wait for the ceremony to start!"

Mousekit chirped in agreement. Rainkit was about to respond when Maizestar appeared from his den. He crossed the clearing in three, long bounds and leapt up onto the Tallrock. Rainkit shivered as Maizestar gave a loud meeting call.

"All right, this is it," Bluedapple said. She sounded almost as nervous as Rainkit was. "Now listen, he's going to call you forward. He'll give you your new name first, and then introduce you to your new mentor. When he's done, touch your nose to your mentor's nose to accept them officially as your mentor."

"We _know_ , mother," Mousekit said, exasperated. "We've been over this a prey-heap of times!"

By now, almost all of the Clan had gathered. The queens brushed past them outside the nursery, and didn't settle far from. Rainkit noticed Pushleaf's nose was wet.

"It looks like the whole Clan is here," Pearlkit breathed. Rainkit wanted to roll his eyes. Of course they came! No cat could ignore the Clan leader.

Rainkit watched each cat from a distance, looking at their different shapes. Talonwhisker, with his dark tabby fur sticking out in clumps. There was Hawkfall and Echospring, the Clan's newest warriors. Rainkit had not been allowed to their naming ceremony because he was too young. Leapwind padded over from the fresh-kill pile, Orchidfur and Leopardstripe with her. Jumpleaf came from the medicine den, Auburnpaw, her apprentice, trailing after her. Rainkit tried to imagine his mother there, but couldn't. She belonged in the nursery, with him.

 _Not anymore!_

Once everyone had settled, Maizestar began, "Today is time I perform an important duty for our Clan. After the sickness has taken hold of our Clan, it is more important than ever to train our young into strong warriors. Today, three of our kits have reached their sixth moon, and are ready to face the many moons of training it takes to protect their Clan." Some of the warriors cast dark glances around at Rainkit and his littermates, not quite muttering loud enough for words to be made out.

Maizestar ignored the reaction of the Clan. He rose to his feet, his voice booming around the clearing. "Pearlkit, Mousekit, Rainkit, please step forward."

Mousekit took a deep breath, and lead the way down. Rainkit stepped his paws carefully, weaving through the warriors until he stood at the very center with his sisters. He could almost imagine his mother was there with him. But she wasn't. Bluedapple had stayed behind to watch the ceremony with the other queens. He could feel her eyes on him now.

"Pearlkit," Maizestar began the ceremony. "From this moment on, you shall be known as Pearlpaw."

 _Pearlpaw_ , Rainkit thought. He liked the sound of it.

"Crowswoop," Maizestar said, and Rainkit was jarred out of place by shock. "You are a valuable asset to this Clan. In your time here, you have made a fine runner, and an excellent tunneler. Teach all you know to Pearlpaw."

Anger blazed through Rainkit like raining fire. Of course Maizestar would choose the _half-Clan_ cat to mentor his sister. Everybody knew that Crowswoop had been born and raised in ThunderClan with his mother and sister. While both Crowswoop and Hollypool had chosen to come to WindClan on their own, they couldn't banish the ThunderClan blood that flowed through their veins. Hollypool was currently in the nursery with a _ThunderClan_ tom's kits. He still remembered the day that the fire had raged through ThunderClan, killing the kits' father and her mother. Crowswoop had already joined WindClan by that point, but the arrival of his sister and her kits in the Clan was not entirely welcome.

On the other hand, Rainkit had no idea who his father is. It had always been a tantalizing mystery growing up. Who was father? Bluedapple would not tell them. Instead she constantly assured them that they were loved, and it didn't matter as long as they were loyal to WindClan. _We could be kittypets, for all we know!_

It was no wonder that Maizestar had chosen the half-TunderClan warrior to mentor his sister. After all, she could very well be half-ThunderClan too.

Pearlpaw didn't seem to mind though. Her eyes gleamed as she stepped forward to touch noses with Crowswoop before stepping to the side, joining the Clan for the first time. Rainkit dimly noticed that not everyone shuffled away awkwardly. Adderclaw was even nodding, almost like approval.

"Mousekit," Maizestar continued. "From this moment until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Mousepaw." Rainkit could sense his sister's excitement as though it were tangible. She paced forward to stand before Maizestar, looking around gleefully for her new mentor.

"Pale-eyes," Maizestar addressed the senior warrior. Rainkit stared in surprise. Pale-eyes's face was lit up, her eyes gleaming. Her creamy pelt rippled in the wind. "You have proven yourself to be a valued hunter to your Clan. It will be your duty to pass on all you know to Mousepaw."

"It is my honor," the senior warrior said, dipping her head. Mousepaw's tail shot straight up. The two touched noses and padded over to join Crowswoop and Pearlpaw. That could not have gone differently. Crowswoop was a half-Clan warrior with tainted blood. Pale-eyes was a well respected senior warrior. She was gently and kind, but her lean body carried the scent of the heather. Rainkit couldn't believe that Maizestar would ever use her to punish Mousepaw. His pelt pricked with guilt. Maybe _he_ was the one being unfair. So far in his lifetime, Rainkit had not seen his Clanmates acting roughly toward Crowswoop, as they had Hollypool and her kits. Even now, in fact, many of the Clan was looking on in admiration. Maybe Crowswoop _was_ a well respected warrior, and Rainkit was just quick to believe otherwise.

He didn't have time to think on it anymore, as Maizestar was staring down at him. Rainkit had never realized before just how big Maizestar was. His muscles were smooth the whole way down. Most WindClan cats were lean, but Maizestar was bulky.

The leader's voice was louder from up front. Or maybe Rainkit was just nervous. "Rainkit, from this day until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Rainpaw." The sound of his new name rang in his ears. He liked the sound, and wanted to hear it again.

Who would his mentor be? Would it be a young cat, or a seasoned warrior? Would he be tunnelers like Mousepaw and Pearlpaw, or a moor-runner? He looked around expectantly, hoping to see which cat stepped forward to take the place of the mentor. No cat stepped up. Frustration picked at Rainpaw. The cat was not going to step forward until Maizestar called them.

"Your mentor will be Rustpelt."


	4. Chapter 2

Mutters broke out amongst the Clan. Rainpaw turned and looked up as Rustpelt padded forward. The red tabby was huge, with a battle scarred muzzle and gleaming amber eyes. Rainpaw felt a bubble of nervousness in his chest. The Clan deputy was going to be his mentor?

"Maizestar, you can't," Orchidfur said.

"She's right," Talonwhisker agreed, nodding. "This is ridiculous."

Rainpaw opened his mouth to answer furiously, but Rustpelt's tail brushed his lips, warning him to be quiet. He glared up at his deputy, preparing to speak anyway, but he stopped himself at the look on Rustpelt's face. He did not look down on Rainpaw, as though he were about to scold him. Instead, there was a light of humor in his eyes. He winked. It was such an absurd gesture that Rainpaw was taken aback. What was his new mentor thinking?

The deputy whipped around to face the two warriors. "What is ridiculous, exactly?"

Orchidfur clamped her jaw shut, but Talonwhisker was not so smart. "You're the deputy! He's just…" The warrior trailed off, but everyone knew what he was thinking.

"Yes," Rustpelt said, nodding. "He is just an apprentice. Tell me, do you think training our apprentices to be strong warriors is a waste of our time?"

"N-no!" Talonwhisker exclaimed, shock in his voice. "It's just that you're the deputy!"

"Do you think I am so incompetent I can't both perform my deputy duties _and_ train an apprentice?"

Talonwhisker shook his head vigorously. "No, Rustpelt."

"Very well then," Rustpelt said. "Then I see no further need to complain about it." The red tabby turned back to Rainpaw, who couldn't help but laugh. No one had ever stood up for him before now, give Bluedapple and his littermates. It gave him an odd feeling, a sort of bubbling in his stomach that spread until it touched his ears to his tail tip. His earlier agitation melted away as he touched his nose to Rustpelt's, accepting the deputy as his mentor.

The Clan began to break up, Talonwhisker snapped at Houndpaw, his apprentice, before vanishing into the warriors' den. Orchidfur padded away with Echospring, both their head's together muttering. Leopardstripe padded over to Hawkfall, Owlflight on her tail. Hawkfall called to his apprentice and the four cats pounded out of the camp. Rainpaw guessed they were on patrol.

"Come on," Rustpelt said in his ear. "I want to show you our territory."

"Yes!" Rainpaw exclaimed before he could stop himself. Rustpelt's eyes glimmered in amusement, and Rainpaw tried to keep ahold of his excitement better. "I mean, I can't wait."

They two of them padded side by side across the camp to the entrance. As he walked, he pricked his ears in the direction of Pale-eyes and Mousepaw. "We should help to reinforce the camp wall today. There are some weakness because of the wind…"

He turned his ears over to Pearlpaw, and overheard Crowswoop. "I'll take you underground today. We can explore the whole territory from below."

A new thought pricked at Rainpaw, bringing him to wonder. "Rustpelt, I'm training to be a moor-runner, right?"

"Well, yes," his mentor answered. "But since so many cats died, most of us are doing both duties right now."

"Does that mean I'll have to go underground?" he asked, twitching his ears. While the prospect of going underground was certainly thrilling, he wasn't sure how he felt about being closed in on all sides.

"You are a WindClan cat, so yes, you'll have to go underground." His mentor seemed to sense his unease. "Don't tell me you're scared."

"I'm not scared!" he exclaimed. "I was just wondering, that's all."

"Sure," Rustpelt purred. "But if you're also wondering what it's like, well, it's not as bad as it sounds."

Rainpaw didn't get a chance to answer, as they padded out of the camp in that moment. "Whoa!" he breathed, looking all around at the heather. "It's so big!"

He could feel Rustpelt's eyes on him as he took it all in. "This is our territory," Rustpelt explained. "As a moor-runner, it will be your job to patrol and look after all of it, as well as hunt."

"The whole thing?" Rainpaw asked, looking up at his mentor. He couldn't even see the end of it, let alone traverse the whole thing.

"The whole thing," he answered, smiling. "It's a lot of work, but once you're done training, you will easily be able to work alongside your Clanmates to get it done."

Rainpaw tried to picture it, but couldn't. It was just too big. "Let's go," Rustpelt said, and without further warning, took off.

Rainpaw blinked in astonishment, and began running after him. Rustpelt was _fast_! His paws barely skimmed the ground as he raced away. Before long, Rainpaw was panting as he tried to keep up. The senior warrior wasn't making anny allowances for Rainpaw's shorter legs or lack of training.

"Keep up!" Rustpelt called over his shoulder, and Rainpaw pushed even harder. It took all his concentration to keep from tripping over his own feet that he didn't realize where they were until they stopped. He took deep breaths, trying not to show how much of a toll that run had taken on him, but he was sure that Rustpelt knew anyway.

"This is the RiverClan border," his mentor said, indicating with his tail. Rainpaw opened his mouth to take in the scent better. His first impression was that it wasn't actually that gross. It smelled like the air after a fresh rain, when water still permeated the air, and mud was running along the ground. The markers were fresh. A patrol must have just gone by.

"RiverClan are our neighbors," Rustpelt said. "They hunt in the river that cuts through the territory." He pointed with his tail, and Rainpaw looked down. The river cut through the territory like a claw through flesh. It was long and deep. He tried to imagine hunting in their, and grimaced. He didn't think he liked getting his fur wet.

Rustpelt padded along the border with Rainpaw on his heels. "This river leads to the gorge," he explained. Rainpaw nodded, watching it burrow deeper into the land until it was well beneath them. It veered off, further into RiverClan territory from there.

Without any warning this time, Rustpelt took off. "Come on," Rainpaw grunted before following. The trip wasn't as long this time, and it was primarily downhill, making it that much easier. Even so, Rainpaw was much thankful when his mentor slowed to a walk.

"We're approaching Fourtrees," Rustpelt said, creeping forward. The fronds parted, and Rainpaw gasped in awe. Four enormous oaks stood as pillars, taller than any other tree surrounding the clearing by far. The hollow was round, the grass worn down by countless pawsteps over the earth. In the middle of the hollow, The Great Rock stretched upward, higher than the Tallrock. Rainpaw gaped at it, trying to imagine making that jump. He wasn't sure that he could.

"Every full moon, all five Clans gather here for the Gathering. The leaders speak from there." Rustpelt pointed with his tail to the big stone in the center. "Breathe deep," he instructed. "You can smell ThunderClan's scent markers from here."

Rainpaw took a long breath in. He could just taste the musky scent of ThunderClan underneath all the other smells. It wasn't terrible, but he wouldn't want to live with it. "It's stale," he commented cautiously to his mentor. "That means they haven't been here in a while."

"You're right," Rustpelt nodded. "The Clans rarely mark the border this far, as Fourtrees belongs to all Clans equally. However, we like to mark here from time to time so the other Clans know we're keeping our borders secure." As he finished speaking, he lifted his tail and laid a fresh marker down.

This time, Rainpaw was prepared for Rustpelt's sudden take off. He wasn't surprised when his mentor's paws churned up mud as he raced away. Using his powerful hind legs, he kicked off and followed. This gave him slightly better lead so he wasn't so far behind. Still, by the time they reached the next border, he was panting again.

"This is our border with ShadowClan," Rustpelt said while Rainpaw caught his breath. He didn't need to taste the air this time. There was a fresh marker down that permeated the air around him. It was absolutely gross. The stench of it clogged his airways, making him wince.

"It's quite strong," Rustpelt said. "A patrol must have only just gone by."

The words were hardly out of his mouth when a warning call sounded from not far away. Rainpaw glanced up, then did a double take. His eyes widened fearfully as a patrol raced toward them. There were four cats, and all of them were strong, muscular. WindClan cats were small and lithe, perfect for speed and tunneling. These cats were big, with rippling muscles and broad shoulders. Rainpaw thought even the paws of the cat in front could crush him easily. But they were slow. Even though they were running, there was no grace in it. As untrained and outpaced as he was, Rainpaw could easily outstrip them.

Rustpelt stood at the border, eyes gleaming. "Rooktooth, Dawnpetal, Bumbleflight!" the deputy called lightly. The head of the patrol, a gray and black tabby with blue eyes, headed straight toward them. His tail was raised, his eyes bright. Rainpaw was surprised to see that they looked perfectly friendly.

"It is good to see you, Rustpelt," the head cat said, dipping his head politely. "I see you have a new apprentice," he added, glancing at Rainpaw. "I have one too." He indicated the fourth cat, a dark tabby she-cat with gleaming amber eyes. "This is Lichenpaw," he added.

"Rainpaw," Rustpelt introduced them. "I want you to meet Rooktooth" he pointed to the black and gray tabby. "Dawnpetal" a cream and white she-cat "and Bumbleflight." Bumbleflight, a brown tabby tom, nodded while Dawnpetal murmured a polite greeting. "They are esteemed ShadowClan warriors," Rustpelt continued. "And old friends."

"I thought we weren't supposed to have friends outside the Clan," Rainpaw uttered before he could stop himself.

Lichenpaw flashed her mentor a look, but said nothing. Rustpelt, however, didn't look angry. "It is true that our loyalties lay first with our Clan," Rustpelt answered. "But after many seasons sharing tongues at Gatherings, and seeing each other through hard times, Clans can become closer. For instance, you will notice at Gatherings that RiverClan and SkyClan are well partnered."

"They have been united for many moons," Rooktooth rasped, his voice deep. "It makes it hard for the rest of us. When they battle, they usually battle together."

"It is hard to fight one without fighting the other," Dawnpetal added. "When you have a quarrel with one, you've made a quarrel with the other."

"I don't understand," Rainpaw asked, feeling encouraged by the kind looks of the ShadowClan warriors. "I thought the Clans were supposed to be enemies. Why would SkyClan and RiverClan be so close?"

"Tanglestar is soft, and Ripplestar is old," Rooktooth explained. "They gain more by allying together than they lose."

"And the Clans are not all enemies of each other," Rustpelt added. "We are just self-sufficient, and like to keep what's ours to ourselves."

Rainpaw's head was spinning. He dipped his head and took a step back, letting the warriors talk. He tried to exchange a puzzled glance with the ShadowClan apprentice, but she only glared at him, openly hostile. She was so unlike her friendly Clanmates that Rainpaw felt as though he had been smacked. _Well at least we're on the same page_ , he thought to himself, glaring back. _I don't want ShadowClan friends._

"How are things in WindClan?" Rooktooth asked.

"They're good. Three new apprentices," Rustpelt meowed proudly. "Our prey is running well."

"We have two new apprentices," Rooktooth said conversationally. "Lynxstar is really proud. Briarcloud chased a dog off our territory," he continued. "Ashcloud said she'd never seen anyone so brave."

"That does sound brave. Good for her." Rainpaw glanced up at Rustpelt. He sounded too cheerful.

"Yes, it was really excellent," Dawnpetal said. "Anyway, we'd better finish our patrol."

Rustpelt dipped his head. "Good hunting."

"Likewise," Dawnpetal said, and the four cats padded off in the direction of Fourtrees. Rainpaw watched them go, curiosity picking at his paw fur.

When they were out of sight, Rustpelt turned away. "Let's go," he said. "There's one more thing I'd like to show you."

Rainpaw was prepared to take off running again, so he was promptly surprised when Rustpelt trotted away at a leisurely pace. Rainpaw glanced up at his mentor questioningly. "It's a dangerous area up ahead," Rustpelt explained quickly. "I don't want you to be caught unaware."

They padded along in silence for a moment. His curiousity finally bubbled over. "Rustpelt, wasn't there a dog on our territory not long ago?"

"Yes," Rustpelt answered shortly.

Rainpaw waited, but his mentor didn't go on. "Didn't Adderclaw and his patrol chase if off our land?"

His mentor paused, looking over his shoulder before replying. "Yes, Adderclaw and his patrol chased the dog off our territory. It crossed the Thunderpath, and apparently went into ShadowClan territory." His amber eyes bored down on him "Did you expect me to tell those ShadowClan cats that the dof might have come from us. They would have blamed us for the dog being on our territory. It could have started a quarrel."

Rainpaw thought back to the blue eyes of Rooktooth, and the rippling muscles of Bumbleflight. They had all seemed nice enough, but he couldn't get over the dark glare Lichenpaw had given him.

"I guess you're right," Rainpaw admitted. He pictured what it would be like to fight those cats. He'd be shredded before he could say 'mouse'.

They continued the path in silence. Rainpaw was thinking. Why had those cats seemed so friendly? Lichenpaw had been openly hostile, and come to think of it, Bumbleflight had not been too pleased either. He had always heard in the nursery that ShadowClan cats were born with the cold of the north wind blowing across their hearts. He'd always imagined them as nasty creatures, munching on the bones of other cats and fighting at any given word. Yet the cats that he'd met just now were not rude, necessarily. They had seemed alright, almost normal. But no matter how hard he tried, Rainpaw couldn't shake the unease that settled in his pelt. He didn't trust a single one of those cats.

He was momentarily distracted from his worries by a sound he'd not heard before. It was a deep rumbling. "What's that?" he asked.

Rustpelt smiled, as though amused. "You'll see soon enough."

Another rumble boomed across the sky, making Rainpaw's ears hurt. He drew back, hissing. "Is that thunder?" A new thought entered his mind. Thunder…did that mean they were…?

They came to a crest in the hill and peered down. Rainpaw's eyes widened as he looked down. He had expected the grass to keep going, stretching down and away the way the other hills did on their territory. At the bottom of this hill, however, a long black strip sliced through the ground, cutting away at the grass. It was from here that the loud roaring was emanating. He drew back in alarm as a creature flashed by on the strip, faster than any cat could ever run. Beside the strip, the grass swayed with the wind the creature made as it ran.

"This is the Thunderpath," Rustpelt said. "No, don't go any closer!" His tail swiped across Rainpaw's paw, stopping him in his tracks. "Cats die here," he went on, genuine worry in his voice. "Those monsters can kill you with one paw."

Rainpaw watched as another monster flashed by. He had not expected this at all. He'd heard about the Thunderpath, sure, but he'd always though about it as a river, the monsters living in the water. This Thunderpath looked very solid, and the monsters were other creatures entirely. They moved so fast, it didn't even look as though their paws lifted from the ground.

"When you make your journey to the Moonstone, you will have to cross," Rustpelt said. "I will be taking you, or one of the warriors will. Please listen to our instructions. It could mean the difference between life and death."

Rainpaw nodded absently, thinking he'd never get ay closer if he could help it. He never wanted to set a paw on that grimy surface. He didn't even want to think about facing those monsters.

With the tour done, the two cats headed back in the direction of camp. Rustpelt was once again pushing Rainpaw for all he had. His paws were heavier than stones, and he found it increasingly difficult to keep up. By the time the camp wall came in sight, he could hardly draw breath. _Sweet relief!_ he thought as they slowed to the walk. He couldn't run another step.

He burst into the camp after his mentor and looked around. Nothing had changed, really. Sedgeclaw, Nightspots, and Bluedapple were working on the camp wall together. The two warriors were obviously awkward around Bluedapple, as if they didn't know how to act around her. Smilecloud was waiting with Orchidfur by the entrance. Both she-cats nodded at Rustpelt as they entered the camp. Runningstorm raced over to the join them and the three of them raced out of camp on patrol.

Wolfmask was supervising by the nursery, where Pineclaw and Leapwind were working on the camp wall together. Brightpaw- Leapwind's apprentice –appeared from inside the nursery. Two kits were clinging to her fur, a third digging his teeth into her tail. "Oh no!" she exclaimed dramatically. "They got me!" With a great sigh, she fell to the ground.

"Brightpaw!" Leapwind snapped. "Concentrate on your work!"

The tabby and white she-cat sat up, shaking the kits off. "Sorry Leapwind," she said earnestly. "But the kits distracted me."

"I can see that," Leapwind said, eyeing the tiny bundles as they flashed back into the nursery. "But it's for their benefit that you do this work."

Brightpaw dipped her head. "Yes Leapwind," she apologized before disappearing back inside.

"Take some fresh-kill to the elders, then take your pick," Rustpelt ordered, drawing Rainpaw's attention. "Then you can rest."

"Thanks Rustpelt!" he said, and bounded over. Sparrowclaw and Silverfrost were there, sharing a rabbit. Sparrowclaw pointedly turned away when Rainpaw approached, but Silverfrost nodded.

"Galecoal likes dormouse," she said kindly. "Smallscratch hare."

"Thanks," Rainpaw muttered, picking a large rabbit out. Hopefully the elders would enjoy it. It was warm, and smelled fresh. He bounded confidently across the camp and stopped outside the elders' den to call a greeting.

"Come in!" croaked a familier voice. Smallscratch had been to the nursery often recently, ever since Hollypool had joined WindClan with her kits. Smallscratch was Hollypool and Crowswoop's father, and thus the kits' kin.

Rainpaw padded in and dropped the rabbit in the nearest nest. Smallscratch was sitting up with interest. Galecoal's ears twitched as she too sat up, though her eyes glittered with hostility. "I brought you some prey," Rainpaw panted. "The juiciest rabbit I could find."

"Thank you, Rainpa- " Smallscratch began, but Galecoal cut him off. "Didn't anyone tell you I like mouse?" she spat viciously, eyeing the rabbit with distaste.

"Silverfrost mentioned it," Rainpaw began uncomfortably. "But I thought- "

"You don't listen to what the senior warriors tell you?" she snarled, spittle flying from her mouth as she spoke. "Taking care of your elders doesn't matter to you?"

"Of course it does!" Rainpaw meowed, shocked. What was wrong with Galecoal? Did she really hate rabbit that much?

"Then why didn't you do as Silverfrost told you?" she demanded. "You don't have enough respect for the warrior code, that's why. If you ask me, you and your littermates are going to end up just like your filthy mother: a tramp and a disgrace!"

Rainpaw's jaw dropped. Indignation filled him. Was Galecoal mad at him for not bringing her a mouse, or did she just hate him because he was Bluedapple's kit?

He took a breath, about to bring a stinging retort, but Smallscratch brushed Rainpaw's mouth with his tail, warning him to be quiet. "I'm sure Rainpaw thought you'd enjoy this rabbit more than a mouse, Galecoal," the friendly elder told his denmate evenly. "You can't blame him for only wanting to bring you the freshest prey."

"Humph!" Galecoal sniffed, turning her nose away from it.

"Thanks Rainpaw," Smallscratch said quietly. "And don't worry about Galecoal. She's grumpier in leaf-fall."

"Whatever," Rainpaw growled, turning away from the elders and padding out into the clearing. He bit his tongue. It was so unfair! Just because his mother had broken the warrior code by taking a mate didn't mean that he was going to! His lip trembled, but he held in the wail that was struggling to break loose. He was not a kit, so he wasn't going to act like one.

Pearlpaw appeared in the camp entrance, following Crowswoop. Her pelt was smeered with dust, but her eyes glowed with pleasure. As soon as she spotted Rainpaw, she bounded over to him with a yowl of welcome. At the same moment, Mousepaw came from inside the apprentices' den and rushed over to join her littermates.

The moment they met, Pearlpaw and Mousepaw brushed muzzles together. Pearlpaw leaned forward and touched her nose to Rainpaw's. "Watch out," he grumbled. "You'll get my pelt dirty!"

His sisters didn't seem to notice his sour attitude. "Where did you go?" Mousepaw asked their sister with interest.

"Crowswoop showed me all the tunnels!" Pearlpaw said in a rush. "It was awesome. They go on forever! Some even lead outside the territory!"

"Nice!" Mousepaw said, her eyes glowing warmly. "Pale-eyes taught me how to weave brambles into the camp wall, and then showed me the best places to collect moss for our nests. I set yours up," she added. "That way you wouldn't have to after training."

"Thanks Mousepaw!" Pearlpaw purred.

"Thanks," Rainpaw muttered.

"What about you?" Mousepaw asked him. Her eyes were still light with excitement. "How was your first day as apprentice?"

In a split second, Rainpaw decided not tell his sisters about Galecoal's hostility. They both seemed to have had good times and he didn't want to ruin it. "It was great!" he said, hoping his voice was the right amount of cheerful. "Rustpelt showed me the territory. I met ShadowClan cats," he admitted, puffing his chest out proudly. _No need to mention that I couldn't keep up!_

"What are they like?" Pearlpaw asked, her eyes wide.

Rainpaw thought of Lichenpaw with her angry eyes. Then he pictured Galecoal, snarling at the juiciest piece of prey because he'd brought it. Were they really that different?

"Kinda like us, I guess," he said. "Only secretive."

"Wow," Mousepaw breathed. "You were on a real patrol." Her eyes gleamed. "I can't wait to meet the cats from the other Clans."

Rainpaw nodded unenthusiastically. Seeing the other Clan cats had been interesting, but he still didn't trust them. He decided to shelve that distrust in the back of his mind. He didn't _have_ to trust them. It was his job not to trust them. So he shouldn't worry about it. Besides, he had enough problems with his own Clanmates to spend time thinking about the other Clans.


	5. Chapter 3

The next several days were not nearly as interesting as the first day. Rainpaw only went on a total of 3 patrols in sunrises. Two of them were border patrols. The last was a hunting patrol. Rainpaw's ears burned in shame remembering. He had not caught the prey he was supposed to be catching, which of course resulted in him going hungry for the night. He remembered begging Brightpaw to take prey to the elders that night. He had not wanted Galecoal screaming at him.

Instead, Rainpaw had spent most of his time cleaning bedding. He was certain that at this point every cat had a clean nest. First he had cleaned the elders' den. Galecoal had complained every step of the way, huffing over every little thing, including the type of bedding he used, where he got it, how wet it was, and how long it took him. He'd had to travel far across the territory, practically at the outlands to get the softest moss ever for her. When he'd come back, she'd complained that it had smelled like kittypets, but refused any other moss. Finally, she had pronounced to his mentor in front of the entire Clan that Rainpaw was a hopeless apprentice, would never learn how to be a proper warrior, and couldn't even gather moss properly.

Whatever problem the Clan had with Rainpaw, they began to push it to the side. Pearlpaw and Mousepaw began to work regularly underground. Pearlpaw in particular loved tunneling. She frequently came back with dust clumped so thick on her pelt that she had to wash off in the stream.

Of the warriors, most of them were okay. They weren't particularly nice, but Rainpaw noticed that they weren't particularly nice to any of the apprentices. There were a few that he felt certain were more unfriendly to him and his littermates: Talonwhisker, Hawkfall, Leopardstripe, and Thorntooth, among others.

The queens in the nursery were fussy, as Hollypool had her kits. She named them Gougekit, Toadkit, and Heatherkit. Rainpaw pitied them. The day they were born, only Crowswoop and Smallscratch visited them. The rest of the Clan, even Rustpelt, stayed back. Thorntooth was living in the nursery at night with his kits, but on the night they'd been born, he had moved them outside. He'd said it was to give Hollypool space, but he didn't move them back in until Rustpelt ordered him to. The other queens were heavy with kits not yet born. Their mates had joined StarClan during the battle with the sickness.

Bluedapple had become a tunneler. The Clan was increasingly awkward around her. For so long, Bluedapple had been their trustworthy medicine cat, but she had betrayed them when she'd taken a mate and had kits. Now they didn't know how to act around her.

The apprentices were mostly okay. Houndpaw and Sparrowpaw didn't talk to them much. Sparrowpaw especially turned her back whenever they came in. Houndpaw was okay, if one could get him talk. Forestpaw was very enthusiastic, talking about training with revere. Beetlepaw was a total nuisance.

"Don't worry," Forestpaw said one day when Beetlepaw had sneered nastily at him. "Beetlepaw's nose is so high in the air, he can't always tell when he's talking or when he's thinking!"

"Hey!" Beetlepaw whined mockingly. "You're my sister. You're supposed to stand up for me."

"I can't," Forestpaw answered lightly. "Your ego's so large, there's no need!"

Rainpaw left the nursery with his claws aching. He'd just replaced every nest in the nursery with fresh moss. Now that he was done with his duty today, he'd finally get a chance to get some fresh-kill from the pile.

Mousepaw was washing her whiskers beside the Tallrock, drawing her paws over her face in a steady rhythm. Pearlpaw was stretched out beside her, laying on her back with her paws curled up against her chest. Rainpaw padded over and flopped beside them. He quietly nosed through the fresh-kill pile and found a fragrant vole. The smell made his stomach grumble. Hungrily, he bit into the prey.

"Crowswoop took me on patrol today," Pearlpaw began conversationally. "We remarked the border at the height of the territory."

"Nice," Mousepaw commented. "Did you see any loners?"

Pearlpaw shrugged. "Nah, but there was the scent of fox."

"Fox?" Rainpaw asked with his mouth full.

"The creature," Pearlpaw explained unnecessarily. "Only the scent was stale."

"Good," Mousepaw grumbled. "We don't want one near camp." She flexed her claws experimentally. "Pale-eyes was gonna start my battle training tomorrow."

"Oh wow!" Pearlpaw exclaimed, sitting upright in a flash. "I hope I get to come! Crowswoop hasn't told me what we're doing yet. What about you Rainpaw?" Her amber eyes glowed at him.

Rainpaw shrugged. His claws hurt from cleaning out bedding all day. He wasn't sure he was ready for battle training yet.

"Don't you want to learn to fight?" Mousepaw asked.

Rainpaw swallowed the last of his prey and began washing. "Of course," he answered between licks. "I guess I'm just tired."

Pearlpaw blinked sympathetically. "Don't worry. Rustpelt's sure to take you out soon."

Rainpaw mewed in agreement, but didn't answer. He pretended to concentrate on his washing while his sisters continued talking. Why _was_ Rustpelt ignoring his training? On their first day together, he had seemed to like Rainpaw. Did his mentor think he wasn't a worthy apprentice after all?

…

Rainpaw was sleeping. In his dream, he was creeping up on the hare, ready to pounce. This time, he wouldn't miss.

"Rainpaw!" Someone called his name. The hare took off and Rainpaw snapped awake.

"Ugh," he grumbled, his breath stirring in his throat. Careful not to disturb Tigerpaw, who was dosing on the other end of the den, Rainpaw shook the moss from his nest off his pelt and padded outside.

Pale-eyes and Leapwind were sitting side by side. Flamepaw and Brightpaw circled her excitedly, their tails fluffed up. Mousepaw followed him out of the apprentices' den with a huge yawn.

Lastly, Pearlpaw raced over from the dirtplace, Hawkfall from the warriors' den. Rainpaw watched them approach nervously. Hawkfall was, admittedly, not his favorite cat. He didn't loathe him the way he did Galecoal, but Hawkfall was very conceited. His inflated sense of self permeated the camp like the wind. Everybody felt it, they all knew it was there. Rainpaw was not a fan.

Although sir ego was looking particularly haughty, it was Pale-eyes who took charge. "Today, you apprentices are going to battle training."

"Yes!" Flamepaw exclaimed. He immediately bowed his head in acquiesce when his mentor shot him a look.

"Pearlpaw, Rainpaw, you're with us," Pale-eyes said, signaling with her tail. The group hearded out all clustered together. "Now Flamepaw and Brightpaw, you've already done some battle training, but today is a special kind of battle training."

"What do you mean?" Brightpaw asked, sounding thoroughly nervous.

"Rustpelt wants us to stretch our legs," Leapwind answered grimly. Rainpaw exchanged a look with Mousepaw. It was clear that neither of them knew what that meant.

They soon followed a branch off path that lead down to the training area. Rainpaw had seen it from afar when he was gathering moss, but he had never gone. He knew what it looked like: a wide hollow with a dusty track around it. There were worn pawprints in the ground, marking where cats traditionally put their feet when they trained. A thrill ran through Rainpaw as he realized he'd be adding his pawprints to the worn trail.

They came to a halt at the beginning of the trail. Rainpaw realized that it looped around a bush not far away and came right back to them. Curiosity pricked his paws like thorns.

"Alright," Hawkfall said, a slight sneer to his voice. "One lap everyone. Let's go."

Rainpaw glanced around his companions. Pearlpaw, Mousepaw, and Flamepaw shrugged, but Brightpaw took off running around the dusty track. He guessed that this is what they wanted them to do, so Rainpaw took off after her.

His paws skimmed over the earth in the most pleasing sensation. He felt like he could fly. Adrenaline raced through his system and he let out a yowl of pure joy. Running was the best feeling in the world!

Until about halfway down the track. Brightpaw was still racing, her tail streaming behind her. Rainpaw could hear his fellow's pounding paws and ragged breathing. He felt a stitch in his side. He had to breathe quicker all of a sudden. As he rounded the bush and began to make his way back, he realized how hard it was to lift his paws off the ground.

He refused to slow down, but he felt as if his paws were growing heavy. The feeling of joy had diminished- not that he didn't like being fast, but rather that the act itself was no longer fun.

He dashed into where the mentors were standing. Brightpaw didn't look tired. She stood panting a little, but otherwise looked like herself. Rainpaw forced himself to stay standing, but he felt as if he couldn't get a breath. The final three pulled up. They all looked tired.

"Wow Rainpaw," Mousepaw commented. "You were fast."

"Fast? Yes," Leapwind said. "But good? No."

Rainpaw glared at her, feeling mutinous. What had he done wrong?

The golden she-cat stepped forward and swatted him painfully, sending him sprawling to the ground. Shock filled him as she pounced on him. It took him a moment to realize that her claws were sheathed and she was talking. "You're so tired from running that you have no energy to fight."

She stepped back and allowed him to sit up. He rejoined the other apprentices, sitting and facing the mentors as Hawkfall padded forward. "Mousepaw, your form was great," he said, nodding to her. "A little more training and you'd make a great moor-runner."

Mousepaw's eyes gleamed. "When you run, you need to concentrate less on speed and more on form," Pale-eyes said. "Think about curving your spine in. Bring your back paws forward and stretch out your paws as far forward as you can. Hawkfall, you demonstrate."

The young tom crouched down, dug his paws into the ground, then took off. Rainpaw watched carefully, seeing how his spine curved and how his paws skimmed lightly. He appreciated the speed more than anything. Rainpaw could never go that fast, he thought.

Hawkfall returned to where they were sitting at a steady trot. "Like that. Brightpaw, you go first."

One by one, they each took a turn doing laps. They had to keep going until they got it right, which meant they were all very tired by the end of the day. Mousepaw got the form down quickest, but she was slow. Pearlpaw managed to get the form basically down, but Brightpaw definitely the best. She outshone each and every one of them. Rainpaw found it tricky to find and then keep the right form, but at least he could manage it.

They kept going back to the training hollow as a group each day. They didn't get the same mentors each day, either. Leapwind almost always came, along with Hawkfall. Pale-eyes sometimes took the tunneling apprentices underground to work while Flamepaw and Rainpaw patrolled. However, every day, they were expected to run three laps.

When they mastered running form, they began battle training. Leapwind pushed them to the extremes, sometimes going as far as to tackle them while they were running laps. Her claws were never out, but she didn't take it easy on them. They were expected to ask questions and practice on their own.

In the mean time, they were still expected to perform regular apprentice duties. Exhaustion didn't even begin to describe how Rainpaw felt every day he ended battle training just in time to clean out the elders' bedding. Weariness dragged at his paws each night, but the next day, he'd be up and at it again.

Rustpelt lead the hunting training. He would work with Pineclaw and Patchcloud with each of the separate apprentices, teaching them both individual and team work. Those days were easiest for Rainpaw. Hunting came naturally to him. Now that he had proper form, he was able to race over the moor with relative ease. Rabbits were quick; Rainpaw was quicker.

…

"Come on, Rainpaw!" his mentor called from ahead. Today it was just the two of them. Rainpaw had no idea what was going on.

His mentor was not leading the way on any path to patrol. In fact, he was heading toward Outlook Rock. Rainpaw had only been there once, with Patchcloud. She had been testing Forestpaw on her final assessment. Rainpaw had been impressed with the brown she-cat's ability to see _anything_.

Now it was Rainpaw's turn. The two toms sat side-by-side, looking out over the forest. "Over there is where ThunderClan lives," Rustpelt began without preamble. Rainpaw followed his train of sight to see a dark line across the bottom of the moor.

"It's so dark," he commented without thinking. "How do they see?"

"That's a good question," Rustpelt said quietly. "What do you think?"

Rainpaw stared at the forest, wondering about it. "They must have good eyes," he guessed at last, glancing over at his mentor out of his peripheral. He was annoyed to see his mentor's nose twitching.

Rainpaw stared beyond the ThunderClan forest, where he saw a darker patch. He could see, even from this distance, that those trees towered over ThunderClan's forest. "What's that?" he asked curiously.

"That's the Tall Forest," Rustpelt said. "Where SkyClan lives."

Rainpaw felt his eyes widen. "But it's so far away! How can they be part of Clan life when they don't really live in the forest?"

"Well we don't live in the forest either," Rustpelt pointed out. "Does that make us not a Clan?"

"Of course we're a Clan!" he answered, rolling his eyes.

Rustpelt looked confused. "But we live on the moor."

"Yeah, but we're connected to the other Clans."

His mentor narrowed his eyes. "SkyClan isn't?"

That threw Rainpaw off guard. Didn't they live away from the Clans if their forest was so far away? He narrowed his eyes, staring at the Tall Forest. If he had to walk all that way, well, he wasn't sure his paws would get him there before sunset.

"It's not as far away as it appears," Rustpelt said quietly. "Look." The deputy gently nudged Rainpaw's head until his eyes were pointing over RiverClan territory. There were tall trees on the other side of their territory too. They still looked far away.

"They border our neighbors," Rustpelt continued when Rainpaw didn't say anything. "If they want to come here, they can just cross RiverClan territory."

"Would RiverClan let them?" Rainpaw asked. He thought back meeting the ShadowClan warriors. Hadn't Rooktooth said that SkyClan and RiverClan were unnaturally close?

"It depends, I think," Rustpelt said, but Rainpaw heard the catch to his voice. "Ripplestar would have no choice but to let them cross to get to the Moonstone. Neither would we, for that matter."

Rainpaw frowned. Flamepaw, on the dawn patrol, had run into a couple of ThunderClan cats on their way to the Moonstone a couple sunrises ago, but Rainpaw had not seen them all day. He knew that it was forbidden to attack anyone on their way to the Moonstone.

"That may be true," Rustpelt admitted. "But it is true that we need not worry about an imminent battle with SkyClan."

They sat together for a few minutes, looking out over the forest. "What do you see?" Rainpaw asked tentatively.

"Twolegs taking their dogs out," Rustpelt said, pointing way over the forest. Rainpaw narrowed his eyes. He thought he could just make out a speck. "Hawk going in for the kill- I hope that's not a kit their after." Rainpaw looked just in time to see a majestic bird make the final swoop. He pricked his ears, but he could not hear the last sound as the creature, whatever it was, was captured. "Looks like Applefur and maybe Mintpool are sunning themselves on the Sunningrocks."

Rainpaw tried to see through the foliage, but he couldn't make out any cats or Sunningrocks.

"How do you see all that?" he whispered, impressed.

"Good eyes and lots of practice," the deputy admitted. "Come now. Let's get back to camp."


	6. Chapter 4

Rainpaw sat with his paws tucked under him, cheering alongside his Clanmates. "Beetlewing! Forestheart! Houndwhisker! Sparrowrush!"

The newly named warriors lifted heir heads proudly, eyes gleaming. Excitement coursed through Rainpaw. Two moons of training had flown by with the speed of the wind. It would be no time at all before he was named a warrior alongside his own littermates. Already, his sisters were becoming amazing tunnelers. They had finally left training aboveground to work on the tunnels underneath. Every evening they came back with their claws filled with soil, their fur clouded with dust, eyes gleaming. Now it was just Flamepaw, Rainpaw, and Brightpaw, who had switched from tunneling to moor-running.

Behind him, the heather crunched in the chilly air. Rainpaw whirled around, fur rising in surprise, but there was no need.

"Nice, Rainpaw," Mousepaw teased. "Scared of a kit."

"She caught me off guard, that's all," he muttered, watching. It was Gorsekit, followed closely by Heatherkit.

"The camp is so _big_!" Heatherkit exclaimed, her blue eyes widening.

"Just wait!" Gorsekit encouraged her. "Once you're an apprentice, you'll see the whole territory!"

"Is that bigger?" Heatherkit asked nervously. "I don't think my legs can carry me that far."

"They'll grow," Mousepaw said politely. Both kits turned to look at her. "I'm Mousepaw. Are you Heatherkit?"

"Yeah," the small kit said nervously. Gorsekit lifted her head defiantly.

"Thorntooth told me about you," the brown she-kit proclaimed. "He said you killed my brother, and over half the Clan!"

"What?" Rainpaw shouted, jumping to his feet. Mousepaw lashed her tail and narrowed her eyes, but kept calm.

"That's not true," she explained. "We didn't kill anyone, in fact. The Clan got very sick for a while."

Gorsekit tilted her head. "Why would Thorntooth tell me you killed them if you didn't?"

Mousepaw glanced at Rainpaw, looking unsure of how to answer. Before Rainpaw could bring a stinging retort, however, Pearlpaw jumped in. "Some people say funny things when they're sad," his sister answered, sounding reassuring. "After Splotchkit and Cloverleaf died, were you sad?"

Gorsekit shuffled her paw over the dusty ground. "A little. I wondered where they went, and why they weren't coming back."

Pearlpaw was nodding. "Well your dad was very sad after your littermate died. So sad that he said some things that weren't true."

Gorsekit's fur ruffled up. "So you're saying my dad lied to me?"

"Not lie exactly." Pearlpaw lifted a paw in the air as she spoke. "He just said whatever made him feel better. For him, it was easier to blame an omen from us than it was to admit that sometimes, cats just get sick." She paused, letting her amber eyes bore into Gorsekit's own. "Aren't you glad that you stayed healthy? Then your dad would have been more sad."

"Yeah," Gorsekit said. "He might have told other lies."

There was the sound of stomping feet from behind as one of Gorsekit's littermates raced up. "Who's lying?" he demanded angrily. Rainpaw felt as if the kitten stabbed him with his claws as he gave them a harsh glare. "Why are you talking to them?"

"Thorntooth lied," Gorsekit said. "They said that he was very sad."

"Of course he's sad!" Cloudkit growled. "He lost mom, didn't he? That doesn't make him a liar." The little kit threw Rainpaw a look of pure disgust. "Stay away from us!" he snarled, and head-butted his sister back toward the nursery. Heatherkit, staring at them through eyes wide with fear raced after them.

"Well that went well," Rainpaw growled, turning away. "Even the kits hate us."

"They don't hate us," Pearlpaw argued, looking equally as troubled. "They don't really know what they're talking about."

"Maybe we should talk to someone about it," Mousepaw suggested, her blue eyes glinting in the light. "A senior warrior who could talk to Thorntooth about what he says to his kits."

"No," Rainpaw snapped. "Let them say what they want."

"You're right, Rainpaw," Pearlpaw said, looking encouraged. "We'll just have to show them that we're perfectly loyal warriors!"

Rainpaw felt a prick of doubt. "That's not quite what I – "

He didn't get to finish his sentence, for Rustpelt walked up to them just then. "I saw you talking to the kits," he said. "It's good that you've taken an interest in our youngest members. They should come out of the nursery more and let the other queens have some air. Speaking of air…" his mentor's amber eyes gleamed with excitement. "I have watched your training these past moons, and I believe you three are ready. Tonight, you will come to your first Gathering!"

…

Rainpaw shuffled on his feet, glancing down the slope as far as he could. On either side of him, Pearlpaw and Mousepaw were positively buzzing with excitement. Ahead of them, Rustpelt and Maizestar stood side-by-side looking down into the hollow. Hawkfall was muttering to Echospring, Orchidfur with Leopardstripe. Wolfmask was sitting with a look of concentration while Larchwing paced restlessly. Maizestar had not brought many warriors with him tonight, Rainpaw noticed. Crowswoop sat with Runningstorm, neither talking but both watching Maizestar carefully.

"Are you nervous?" asked a voice. Rainpaw glanced up. Rustpelt had tagged back to speak to them.

"A little," Mousepaw admitted.

"Don't be." The deputy flicked his long tail. "There's a truce, so nobody is going to attack you. You will want to talk to cats from the other Clans, but watch yourself that you don't say too much. Don't give away Clan secrets. However, that shouldn't stop you from speaking to your fellows from other Clans."

Rainpaw thought back to the ShadowClan cats he'd seen. He didn't want to talk to them. He didn't trust a single cat from another Clan. What would they say when they saw him? Did they know he was the kit of a medicine cat? Rainpaw noticed that Bluedapple hadn't been invited. Jumpleaf sat by herself tonight- she had left her apprentice behind too. Anger flared in him as he pictured the other Clans hissing at him His own Clanmates wouldn't dare defend them, would they? Or maybe they would to keep a unified front before the other Clans, but Rainpaw wouldn't be fooled.

He wondered if Lichenpaw would be there.

Maizestar raised his tail as the signal and the warriors all raced forward. Rainpaw followed, trying not to slip down the glade into the familiar land of Fourtrees. Only it was not familiar anymore. RiverClan was already there. Their slimy stink filled the hollow like a mist. Rainpaw took a deep breath, trying to focus on the warm scent of heather emanating from his Clanmates.

"Go talk," Rustpelt hissed in his ear. "Heronflight!" he hailed a slim shape, and trotted off to meet the other cat. Rainpaw watched him go, resentment burning in his chest. He turned to talk to his sisters, but they were already walking away toward a group of elders. Rainpaw hissed in frustration. Was he really going to have to do this alone?

He was just taking a step to join his littermates when a voice sounded from behind. "Hello."

He whirled around to face the other cat, a gray tabby tom with sandy gray eyes. Rainpaw narrowed his eyes and nodded. This cat was a smaller cat, probably an apprentice. He appeared friendly. His eyes were wide and honest, a trusting air surrounded him.

"Hi," Rainpaw grunted, not wanting to sound to huffy.

"I'm Gravelpaw," the tom continued. Rainpaw thought it felt rather rehearsed. Maybe this other cat- Gravelpaw –was as nervous as he was. "I'm an apprentice in RiverClan."

"Nice," Rainpaw responded. "I'm Rainpaw of WindClan."

Gravelpaw sat down. "Smells like ThunderClan is on the way." Rainpaw swiveled his ears as the cats of ThunderClan burst into the clearing. He did not turn around to greet them. "Isn't it weird, gathering like this with the other Clans?" Gravelpaw asked. Rainpaw shrugged, not bothering to point out that he was sitting next to a WindClan cat okay. "What's it like in WindClan?"

"It's okay," Rainpaw answered carefully, not wanting to reveal too much information.

Gravelpaw didn't seem to care about the answer anyway. "That's my father," he pointed out. Rainpaw followed his gesture. Rustpelt was sitting next to a speckled gray tom with strange green/blue eyes.

"Is that Heronflight?" he guessed, thinking back to Rustpelt just before he left him by himself.

"It is!" Gravelpaw bragged proudly. "He's the Clan deputy."

"That's nice." Rainpaw hoped that Gravelpaw was too busy preening to notice his sarcasm.

From the Great Rock came a caterwaul. Five cats stood on the Great Rock, only one of whom did Rainpaw recognize. He had been so busy talking to Gravelpaw he hadn't even noticed the other Clans arrive.

"Who's who?" he asked Gravelpaw desperately.

The other apprentice glanced at him as if he'd gone mad. "Well Ripplestar is the gray and black tom," he answered. Rainpaw stared in shock. Ripplestar was noticeably old. His whiskers were white, his muscles frail. No wonder Gravelpaw was so bigheaded. His father was sure to become Clan leader!

"Who's that?" he asked, indicating a long-tailed lithe she-cat.

"That's Lynxstar," Gravelpaw answered promptly. "She's the leader of ShadowClan."

She was younger, with rippling muscles and dark eyes that roved over the clearing. Next to her, Ripplestar looked pathetic.

"That's Maizestar," Rainpaw pointed to his own leader. His leader was huge, his golden fur glowing in the moonlight. "He's WindClan's leader."

Gravelpaw nodded. "The brown tom is Tanglestar, of SkyClan." The gray apprentice hesitated. "He's my kin," he added, his voice tingling with soft pride that was distinguished from his preening.

"That's not possible," Rainpaw said, eyes widening. "I thought your father was RiverClan deputy!"

"He is," Gravelpaw explained, sitting taller. "But he was born in SkyClan with his sister."

Rainpaw closed his jaw with a snap and forced himself to stare at the Great Rock. He didn't want to gape at the apprentice. Instead, he stared at Tanglestar. The tom was also older, but not frail exactly. His eyes were alight with wisdom that Rainpaw could see even from this distance. That left the black and white tom, who's smug face was a taunt unto itself. That must be Runningstar, the ThunderClan leader.

He wasn't really paying attention to the announcements. Instead, he was thinking about what Gravelpaw had said. The young apprentice was so proud of his heritage, clearly undisturbed by his SkyClan ancestors. It made Rainpaw wonder yet again who his father was. Would he be proud if he knew the truth?

And why hadn't he thought about it before? After all, Gravelpaw wasn't the first cat with mixed blood. There were cats in WindClan with mixed blood. Crowswoop was half-ThunderClan, and he was a well respected tunneler! Hollypool's kits were half-Clan, and they were okay. What if Rainpaw's father had never claimed his kits because he wasn't there during their birth. What if Rainpaw's father belonged to another Clan?


	7. Chapter 5

I'm baaack! Well Anyway I've been working on this lately and I figured that you all would like it(: Enjoy!

CL

* * *

Rainpaw quickly became obsessed with the identity of his father. He spent endless time staring at his sister's faces, memorizing them so he could look for likeness in any of the other warriors. He had never noticed before just how Mousepaw resembled Bluedapple. Now that he knew her face so well, he realized that she was the spitting image of their mother.

He spent time concentrating on Pearlpaw instead. His sister was the only one in the litter to have amber eyes. What else did she possibly inherit from their father? Trying to be at least a little discrete about it, he went out of his way to spend time with her. They emptied the dirty bedding together, split the food among the elders and nursery together, ate together, and talked a lot.

Spending time with her meant that he learned a lot about her he had not known previously. In fact, he felt as if he hadn't truly understood her before. Pearlpaw _loved_ tunneling, but wasn't entirely sure that Mousepaw felt the same. Being underground, using her claws to dig out dust and pack it into the wall, shoring up the tunnels to keep them upright…it all came naturally to her.

Overall, his sister was very kind. He had not realized before how patient and sweet she was. She never let Galecoal's hatred for them get to her, not once losing her temper. As the kits came out of the nursery, it was clear that at least Cloudkit still held a grudge against them. Pearlpaw didn't take it personally though, and strived every day to demonstrate that she was better that what they thought. It was honorable.

Rainpaw padded into camp after his sister, carrying sheep wool and listening to her talk about Brightpaw. "She was staring at him with wide eyes," she told her story. "I mean, Crowswoop is _my_ mentor. What was that all about?"

She dropped her bundle of sheep-fluff and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Do you think she _likes_ him?"

Rainpaw opened his mouth to answer, but didn't get the chance, for at that moment Rustpelt padded over. His mentor had not taken him out hunting in the days since the Gathering. In fact, Rainpaw had been out more often with Leapwind than with his own mentor. He was training with Brightpaw alone now, since Flamepaw had woken up a few sunrises ago with a streaming nose and hot ears. Jumpleaf had moved him to the medicine den to prevent the spread of the sickness.

"I'm glad to see you working so hard," his mentor rasped. For the first time, Rainpaw noticed that his mentor's nose looked rather wet.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, not liking the thought of his mentor getting sick. He had grown rather fond of his mentor after taining with him for so long. What if he fell ill with the same horrible sickness that had killed half the Clan not all that long ago?

Rustpelt made a sweeping motion with his tail. "Oh I'm fine!" he said dismissively. Rainpaw was not entirely convinced. Rustpelt's eyes were glazed over, as if he couldn't quite see correctly. "I've just got a little cold, that's all." He broke off with a sneeze.

Rainpaw flinched as spit sprayed around him. "If you're sure," he muttered, thinking he might have to wash off in the spring later.

"I'm fine, really," Rustpelt assured him. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that tomorrow you will be training in the tunnels with Crowswoop."

This distracted Rainpaw from his worries. He sat upright in shock. "What?"

Rustpelt nodded. "Well, Jumpleaf thought it would best if I took a little rest, and everyone has to train underground anyway, so I asked Crowswoop if he would take you, and he said he would." Rainpaw felt heavy with disappointment. Truth be told, he did not want to go underground, where the sun never shined and there was the possibility of a cave-in.

Rustpelt watched him carefully, narrowing his eyes. "Everyone has to do it, Rainpaw, not just the tunneling apprentices. It's important that each cat knows what to do underground in case of an emergency. And you're only going to do this for one day. Do try to remember your duty as a member of this Clan."

His ears burned with embarrassment, and hot anger rose in his throat. But Rustpelt gave a small cough, and Rainpaw remembered how sick his mentor was. Instead, he bowed his head, trying to hide the mutinous feeling in his stomach. "Don't worry, I won't forget." _But that doesn't mean I have to like it!_

…

Rainpaw awoke to a paw digging in to his shoulder. There weren't that many apprentices in the Clan to justify someone simply spilling out of their nest, so he woke up. Mousepaw was standing over him, her eyes smoldering.

"Time to get up," she said sharply, and vanished out the den without another word.

Rainpaw looked to see what other apprentices were there. Tigerpaw was curled up in his nest, but Flamepaw and Brightpaw were already gone. Pearlpaw was stretching on the other side of the den, only shrugged and followed her.

Outside, the three apprentices stood facing their mentors. Rainpaw glanced over at the warriors' den. Rustpelt must be in there, he supposed, but he couldn't see him. Instead he was facing Pale-eyes and Crowswoop.

"Today we're going underground," Crowswoop announced as soon as they were all sitting. "Rainpaw, this will be your first time, so you need to listen carefully to what Pale-eyes and I instruct you."

Rainpaw glanced sideways at his sisters. He noticed that Mousepaw's eyes gleamed ominously, and he wondered what he might be facing under there.

Together the five cats padded out of the camp and down the slope. Rainpaw shivered against the chill. There was a fine mist in the air. The grass was wet underpaw. Being honest with himself, Rainpaw had to admit that he was anxious to see what the tunnelers did underground all day. The mixture of curiosity and pure nervousness was making his heart pound faster than usual.

Before too long, they approached a rabbit hole. Rainpaw was not stupid enough to believe that was all it was. He could see that it was big enough for cats to fit through, a deep abyss entering down at an angle. An earthy smell hit his nostrils before he was ready, adding to his already pricked nerves.

"We're going to be shoring up the walls of this tunnel today," Pale-eyes instructed carefully. Mousepaw nodded, a ready gleam in her eyes. Pearlpaw's tail twitched excitedly. "Now Rainpaw, this will involve sorting rocks out of the dirt, and pressing them into any crevices you may feel in the wall. Mousepaw will help you. In the meantime, Pearlpaw will spread the leftover grit while Crowswoop and I dig."

"Okay," Rainpaw muttered uncertainly. With a flick of his tail, Crowswoop disappeared into the tunnel. Pale-eyes beckoned Pearlpaw with her tail, and the two of them followed him. Now it was Rainpaw's turn. He looked at the dark burrow unreadily, not quite sure where to go.

"Move it!" Mousepaw snapped from behind. Rainpaw had no choice but to move forward.

At first he had the light from the tunnel entrance, but before long, that was left behind. It became deep, inky black, so dark that his eyes could not adjust. "Where are we going?" he asked, not bothering to stifle the quaver in his voice. There was no answer from in front of him. He took a deep breath and realized that Pearlpaw's scent was gone. In a moment of panic, he stopped, his heart pounding. He felt his sister's nose on his tail. "Keep going," she instructed him waspishly.

"I can't," he wheezed. His legs began to shake and he found himself wanting to lay down. "I don't know where I'm going."

There was a moment of silence before Mousepaw spoke again, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Don't be afraid, Rainpaw. Just because you do not have eyes does not mean you cannot see. Take a deep breath. What do you smell?" Rainpaw took a few relaxing breaths to slow his breathing down. He was surprised at the layers of scents that hit his nose as he inhaled deeply. He didn't know what for sure they were, but he could distinguish two musky scents, a hint of watery ferns from down by the river, the peaty smell of the moor after a good rain, and several of his Clanmate's particular scents, including Bluedapple's. As he took in each of these scents, his heart rate slowed, his mind easing up. There was Pearlpaw's scent, fresher than any other and leading directly ahead.

"I can smell the trail," he said, proud that his moment of fear had left him. "But how do I know which way to go? How do I know that I'm not going to run into a wall or something?"

"Use your whiskers," Mousepaw said wisely. "And trust your instincts. You're a WindClan cat, Rainpaw. No matter how many moons of moor-runner training you have, you'll always have the heart of a tunneler."

Rainpaw took a tentative step forward. On his left was something very solid, his whiskers told him. Careful to bear only slightly right, Rainpaw pressed on.

The path sloped downward, the silence between the siblings growing. "What are these different scents?" Rainpaw asked. He tried to sound genuinely curious, but he was really trying to keep himself from panicking again.

There was another moment of silence, then, "Well that darker, peaty smell is from the soil that lays deep underground. The lighter, sort of sunbaked scent is from the topsoil."

"What about the ferns?" he asked aloud.

"We're actually near the water," she admitted. "We're trying to get a path to the river. Not to the gorge, cause that's too dangerous, but we want a source of water we can get to if it snows too deep."

"Ah," Rainpaw sighed. He had to concentrate just then, as they passed through a muddy area. He could smell Pearlpaw's scent, fresher than ever.

"Can I ask you something?" Mousepaw's voice resounded in the darkness, making him jump.

"A-anything," he stuttered. He felt a slight tug on his tail. Mousepaw was letting him know she had stopped walking.

"Why have you been paying so much attention to Pearlpaw, and not me?" she asked. She sounded as though she were slightly ashamed of herself. Understanding rushed through Rainpaw as he realized the source of his sister's bad attitude all day. She was _jealous_ , and not without reason. It was true that he had been paying a bit more attention to Pearlpaw than his other littermate. Guilt filled him up. Why hadn't he thought of how his behavior might affect his sisters? Why hadn't it occurred it him that Mousepaw would _notice_ his attention to his other sister?

"It's not what you think. I'm…I have mission," he admitted.

"What?" Mousepaw asked, sounding very confused.

Slowly, he explained about the night of the Gathering, and wanting to know more about who their real father is. He told her about his objective, the real reason he'd been spending more time with Pearlpaw.

"You look exactly like Bluedapple," he finished. "But Pearlpaw looks a little different. I figured maybe I could glean some information off of her."

There was silence while Mousepaw took all of it in. "I'm really sorry," he murmured quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You idiot," Mousepaw chided, her voice returning to normal. "You're not going to learn anything about our father just staring at Pearlpaw all day."

Rainpaw's hackles rose despite himself. "It's the only lead I have! I figured I'd better exhaust it before moving on!"

"Don't be stupid, that's not the only lead you have." Mousepaw fell quiet again for just a moment. "You know, if you wanted any help, you can always ask."

"Really?" he whispered. "You'd help me find out who our father is?"

"Of course!" Now she was sounding more like herself. "You're not the only one who's curious. Besides, you're my brother, and my Clanmate. It's my duty to look out for you."

Rainpaw felt a thrill of relief mixed with happiness flow through him. Suddenly, his self-assigned task didn't seem as difficult anymore. He still had a long way to go in figuring out who his father was, but with Mousepaw on his side, he felt as though he could conquer anything.

"Thanks," he said earnestly. "We're in this together."

He sensed rather than saw his sister's return smile.

"Hey," a voice sounded from directly in front, making Rainpaw jump. He'd been so busy concentrating on their conversation that he hadn't been listening for approaching pawsteps. Pale-eyes, concern radiating from her, had come back for them. "Are you two okay? We thought we'd lost you."

"Sorry," Mousepaw explained. "Rainpaw here got stuck in some mud, but I sorted him out."

"Right," the usually patient mentor sounded rather exasperated. Rainpaw had a feeling she was being a little extra hard on them because she'd been genuinely worried. "But while you two were chatting, we've got work to do. So if you don't mind, let's keep going now, alright?"

"Okay Pale-eyes," he said obediently. "We're coming."


	8. Chapter 6

I'm starting to become affected by other fandoms I'm writing for v_v I really hope I keep the same writing style for this! Enjoy!

-CL

* * *

Rainpaw couldn't take another instant in that tunnel. The dirt in his claws felt like foreign matter to him, the air stale against his lungs as he breathed deep to try and keep calm. He was doing everything he was told, really he was. But every time dust hit his head, he felt a new wave of panic threatening to overthrow his carefully balanced nerves and sent him sprinting back up from whence they came. In fact, the only thing that kept him rooted to that spot was that he wasn't entirely sure he could find his way out on his own. He would have to rely on one of the others to help guide him out, and they weren't going to do that until they were done with their task.

He knew he should feel a bit more abashed. The Tunnelers of WindClan worked very hard to keep their exits and underground territory stable to feed the Clan through the harsh leaf-bares. There was no denying that this was quite a respectable job for hard-working cats. But Rainpaw was a _moor-runner_ apprentice, and being underground for so long was very uncomfortable for him. An anxiety growing with every second longer they spent in that cave.

When Pale-eyes _finally_ sat back and declared them done, Rainpaw breathed an audible sigh of relief. Work underground was grueling. There was dirt matted in his claws, and his eyes never adjusted to the darkness. It was an oppressing environment, not to mention the stale air making his lungs ache.

His relief was short-lived. From above, he heard what sounded like rumbling. The ground around him trembled with the sudden force, and dust clouded his vision.

Panic flashed over Rainpaw. His fear-scent choked the air around himself. "Rainpaw," Mousepaw murmured encouragingly. "It's probably just a patrol up above."

But Rainpaw was beyond rational thought anymore. Without so much as a yelp, he took off running. Without meaning to, he followed his own scent trail, leading back out of the cavern. Light filled his vision, so bright it momentarily blinded him.

"Watch out!" he heard what sounded like Brightpaw call out, but he didn't slow down. By the time his vision cleared up, his paws were carrying him on the familiar path to the camp.

Rainpaw slowed down, shame coursing through him. What had he been thinking? Running away like that…Pale-eyes and Crowswoop were probably upset with him. He didn't even want to think what his Clanmates would think when they found out. Every WindClan warrior trained as both a moor-runner and a tunneler. It was in his blood. It was in _every_ WindClan cat's blood. So why had he run off like that?

 _What if you're not really WindClan_? a voice whispered in the back of his head, making him freeze in his tracks.

Suddenly his Clanmate's whispers, since the day he was born, made a lot more sense. They were probably right. He probably wasn't fully WindClan if he couldn't do something as simple as basic tunneling. That's why they were all so dubious of him and his sisters.

His paws felt like stones as he padded into the camp. He wanted to see Rustpelt more than anything. His mentor could tell him what to do about this. Of course Rustpelt was just as likely to put him on bedding duty for the next moon, but who else was there to talk to? His sisters were will underground with the experienced tunnelers, and Bluedapple was busy.

"Hey Rainpaw!" called Flamepaw from the fresh-kill pile. "Do you want to share?"

Ordinarily, Rainpaw would have been tempted by the offer. He didn't often get to share meals with his Clanmates other than his sisters. But the thought of eating food right now made his stomach flip. He almost felt sick.

"Not now," he answered, forcing his voice to sound normal. "Is Rustpelt around?"

Flamepaw tilted his head. "I think he's in the Warrior's den."

Rainpaw nodded his thanks and began padding towards the den. He only got about halfway before he was stopped yet again. "You can't go in there," said a deep voice. Wolfmask appeared in his peripherals, his amber eyes glowing in the bright sunlight.

Rainpaw stopped, planting his paws. "I need to speak to Rustpelt," he said firmly.

"You can't," Wolfmask repeated. "He's resting. Let him rest."

Something in the gray tabby's voice caught Rainpaw's attention. "What do you mean? What's wrong with him?"

Wolfmask sat down, eyeing Rainpaw carefully. "Rustpelt is feeling unwell. He is to rest now, Jumpleaf's orders."

Rainpaw's ears pricked. "What? What's wrong with him?" The medicine cat would only ever order a cat to rest if it were serious. "It's that illness again, isn't it? The one that took so many after I was born?" Wolfmask didn't answer, and that confirmed the worst to Rainpaw.

Without waiting for permission, Rainpaw moved to go around Wolfmask into the Warrior's den Wolfmask followed, stepping directly into Rainpaw's path, effectively blocking him.

"Rainpaw you can't," Wolfmask said, and it wasn't an order, like Rainpaw might have expected. It almost sounded like the senior warrior was pleading with him, and that more than anything made Rainpaw stop in his tracks.

"Listen," Wolfmask continued. "Rustpelt didn't get to be deputy of this Clan for nothing. He's a strong cat. He'll make it through this just fine. But you have to let him rest. Okay?"

Rainpaw glanced at Wolfmask, confused by this change in demeanor. Usually warriors were not so open with Rainpaw. Or anyone, for that matter. Warriors were supposed to be self-assured, supposed to hold their heads high. But that friendly gleam in Wolfmask's eye…that was unfamiliar to Rainpaw, and it was this that made Rainpaw's heart finally stop pounding.

"I have to talk to him," Rainpaw told him.

Wolfmask didn't hesitate. "Why don't you talk to me?"

Rainpaw paused, staring. Was Wolfmask trying to trick him? No, there was still the barest hint of friendliness in the senior warrior's face. But Wolfmask had never been directly rude to Rainpaw or his littermates before. In fact, as far as his reputation in the Clan went, Wolfmask was definitely one of the friendlier faces in the crowd.

"I ran away from training today," he admitted, bowing his head in shame.

He was expecting some form of retribution. All he got was Wolfmask's deep voice flavored with confusion. "What? Why?"

"We were underground," he explained, mouth dry. "There was a patrol overhead, and I panicked." A sudden wave of despair rolled over Rainpaw, knocking the air from his body. "I'm unfit to be a warrior."

Wolfmask was silent for so long, Rainpaw couldn't _not_ look anymore. His golden eyes were narrowed, unreadable. When he finally spoke, though, it took Rainpaw by surprise. "You know, the first time I went underground, I caused a cave-in that almost killed Ravenfang?"

Rainpaw gaped at him. No words came. He truly didn't know what he was supposed to say.

Wolfmask looked at him, ears twitching uncomfortably. "Everyone handles their first time underground differently. I almost killed our deputy, you ran away. Wanna know a secret?"

Rainpaw hesitated. "What?" he asked at last.

"Maizestar hates going underground," Wolfmask said, looking suspiciously like he was holding back a laugh. "He has to do it, because he's the Clan leader. But I remember back before he was named deputy, he was always really uncomfortable when we went under together."

"I don't understand," Rainpaw muttered. "As a WindClan warrior, isn't it my duty to train underground?"

Wolfmask nodded slowly. "Of course it is. And you will. Don't let this one instance make you doubt yourself as a member of this Clan. You have WindClan blood in you, after all. You'll learn."

Rainpaw looked at Wolfmask then, wondering if the gray tabby knew anything about who Rainpaw's father was. Before he could ask, though, there was a shout from the entrance.

"Rainpaw!"

He turned to see his sisters, dirt still smeared into their fur, gazes sharp with worry. And behind them were Crowswoop and Pale-eyes. They looked less so worried than angry.

"You better go," Wolfmask said quietly. Was that amusement in his voice? The warrior touched Rainpaw's flank comfortingly with his tail before the younger sighed, turning to face the warriors.


	9. Chapter 7

The days went by so fast. Rainpaw could feel changes in his very claws. After the tunnel debacle- where he was assigned to moss duty for nearly a moon! –Rainpaw doubled down in his training. He spent most of his time with Leapwind and Hawkfall, practicing again and again until he was one of the most excelled in training. The muscles under his fur became sore at first, but eventually toughened into bulkier, stronger muscles.

Meanwhile the Clan changed too. Along with Rustpelt, three other warriors are ordered to stay in their nests. Jumpleaf has a new den created to separate the sick cats to stop the spread of the illness, and while it seemed to work, it does nothing to settle the unease that's swept through the camp.

Rustpelt…Rainpaw hasn't seen much of him since his time in the tunnels. The only time Rainpaw _has_ seen him is when he cleaned out the deputy's bedding. Rainpaw volunteered for this duty every time the bedding needed changing, as well as bringing him food. He really missed his mentor, and hated the sickly smell coming off of the russet tom more than the glares he got from his Clanmates every time he went near the deputy.

Some of the cats didn't seem to like Rainpaw going near him, as if they were afraid the apprentice himself was making their deputy so sick. At first he was annoyed, now he was genuinely upset. At least none of them tried to stop him. Yet.

Maizestar stood on the Tallrock, facing the Clan. "Let all cats old enough to hunt for their own prey join under the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" he called. It was a traditional call, but he rarely ever used it like that. It was probably because this meeting was going to be a serious Clan discussion. Rainpaw knew. Maizestar had told him beforehand what was going to happen. He was being assigned a new mentor because Rustpelt was so sick. His heart still ached at the thought.

His Clanmates poured out from their various tasks, ears pricked with alarm. Maizestar didn't often use the official Clan gathering call, just caterwauled when he wanted to get their attention. To interrupt their daily activities for an unplanned Clan meeting was unusual to say the least.

Once the Clan was mostly settled, Maizestar began. "WindClan," his voice boomed out. "We have been having a harder leaf-fall than usual." A couple of cats began muttering. Talonwhisker shot a dirty look over to where Mousepaw and Pearlpaw were sitting. "The sickness that took hold of the Clan last leaf-bare has gripped us again, and with fewer warriors able to hunt, storing prey for the upcoming leaf-bare has become harder than ever."

"Maizestar," Adderclaw spoke up, stepping forward and dipping his head respectfully. "Some of us are concerned for the wellbeing of the Clan." His long tail lashed, indicating where a small group of warriors were sitting clustered together.

"As you should be," Maizestar replied. "This sickness has proven to take even the strongest of our warriors. But WindClan is stronger, better than this. And with StarClan's help, we will get through it yet again."

"Of course," Adderclaw rumbled, dipping his head. "But the last time this many cats were sick, we lost _many_ warriors." He hesitated, as if he wasn't sure whether or not to speak. Finally, his eyes narrowed and his voice grim, he continued. "We are concerned that _some_ of our members have acted in a way that might have brought StarClan's wrath."

The feeling of eyes on him effectively got his attention. Rainpaw turned his gaze to their mother. Bluedapple sat in shock, her eyes wide and staring directly at him. The clear panic in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. The Clan blamed them.

Rainpaw's heart thudded painfully in his chest. They were referring to him and his littermates. _Why can't everyone just get over it!_ he thought angrily, his fur spiking up. His angry gaze peered over to his sisters. Pearlpaw sat with her head bowed. Another wave of anger shook him. Why should she be ashamed? They hadn't done anything. Mousepaw looked distinctly uncomfortable, her ear twitching and her eyes wide.

He glanced over to Maizestar. Their leader wasn't speaking, just gaping at Adderclaw as if he'd never seen him before.

Adderclaw kept speaking. "There are members of this Clan who have broken the warrior code so severely. Is it a wonder that StarClan would want to punish us?" A couple of cats, namely Talonwhisker and Leopardstripe, responded with jeers. "If Bluedapple had not- "

"Enough," Maizestar interrupted, and his tone caught Rainpaw by surprise. He glanced over to their leader, shocked to see him look positively angry. "We have discussed this to death. No one in this Clan brought this sickness upon us." His eyes blazed with the heat of his anger. It was enough for Adderclaw to back down. The senior tabby bowed his head and stepped back to his place, sitting among the other warriors. For once, they didn't whisper. Just watched their leader for what was going to come next.

Maizestar took a deep breath, letting his gaze wander over the entire Clan, quelling any other arguments, before he continued. "WindClan is the strongest of the four Clans. But without a deputy, this Clan cannot go on. Rustpelt has served this Clan for many moons, and I pray that he will continue to do so for many more. But while he is ill, Clan life must go on. That is why, today, I will be assigning a temporary deputy to fulfill his roles while he recovers."

For the second time that day, Rainpaw's heart nearly stopped in his chest. A temporary deputy? That was different than just a temporary mentor. This cat was going to have to take Rustpelt's place. He wanted to argue, wanted to point out that Rustpelt was the only deputy and his only mentor. But what Maizestar said made sense, even if Rainpaw didn't like it. And besides, Maizestar had just defended him in front of the entire Clan. The least Rainpaw could do was listen to him.

"I have thought carefully, and chosen a warrior who will temporarily fill Rustpelt's position in the Clan." Maizestar paused and Rainpaw only had that second to wonder who his new mentor was going to be. "Silverfrost," he said. Rainpaw's eyes snapped over to see the starry she-cat as she padded forward. Her footsteps were entirely silent, her posture tall. "You are a strong and noble she-cat. While Rustpelt heals, you will take his place as temporary deputy. Your duties will include organizing patrols, heading the preparations for leaf-bare, and training Rustpelt's apprentice."

Rainpaw looked up while she looked down. Her eyes were very blue, and twinkled at him in a friendly way. He didn't smile back.

"Silverfrost!" called Pale-eyes. Crowswoop and Leapwind quickly joined, "Silverfrost!" Then the entire Clan. "Silverfrost! Silverfrost!"

With that, the meeting was done. The cats began to break up into their original tasks. Hawkfall, Flamepaw, Orchidfur, and Smilecloud pounded out of the camp for a patrol. Gorsekit, Skykit, and Cloudkit began playing around the camp. Thorntooth sat at the edge of the clearing with his remaining kit, Stainkit, watching them play. Hollypool brought out her three kits to play too. Heatherkit and Gougekit ran up to join the game, but the final kit, Toadkit, sat beside his mother, watching with interest.

He was so busy watching the kits, it took Rainpaw a moment to realize he wasn't alone. Silverfrost was still there, watching him with her strange blue gaze. He sighed, turning to face her.

"What are we doing today?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't sound so excited." Maybe it was because she was a senior warrior, or maybe it was because he'd never really spoken to her before, but somehow, Rainpaw wasn't expecting her tone to be so teasing.

He dipped his head. "Sorry," he said, trying to sound more respectful.

Silverfrost only smiled. "Don't be. You're young and you're worried about the Clan."

He glanced up as she sat next to him. "I just don't understand. The Clan acts as though Rustpelt being sick is my fault." His ears burned with shame.

"It's not your fault," Silverfrost said quietly. "But can you blame them?" Rainpaw glanced up at her in shock as she continued. "They don't really know you. You don't really talk to anybody other than your littermates, and quite frankly, Bluedapple broke a serious code in having you. They're not going to be open and forgiving after that."

"So, what, I have to live with them hating me for the rest of my life?" he growled, anger filling him. "Then what's the point of being here? Why don't you all just kick me out?"

Silverfrost lashed her tail against the frozen ground. "Stop pitying yourself!" she snapped. "Why don't you try giving them something to like about you? Stop moping about and _do_ something about it!"

Rainpaw paused, staring up at her in confusion. "I don't know what to do," he admitted at last. "I've been training harder than ever. I do everything I'm told…I haven't done anything worth hating!"

Silverfrost's eyes softened. "You were born into a place filled with hate. It's not necessarily right, but that's what it is. You can't get them to like you by not doing anything worthy of hate. You have to do something worth liking."

Rainpaw frowned, thinking. His eyes settled on two plump mice at the top of the fresh-kill pile. Struck with a sudden idea, he turned to Silverfrost. "Has anyone brought the elders prey, yet?"

She tilted her head. "I think Leapwind wanted Brightpaw to do it later."

"Can I?" he asked her.

A hint of a smile formed on her face. "Of course!"

Rainpaw stalked forward, ignoring the looks of his Clanmates as he bent down and grabbed the two mice from the pile. He raced across the clearing in only three bounds before ducking into the elders' den. Once inside, he dropped the mice in front of Galecoal. The old she-cat slowly looked up, examining the mice with a distinct lack of interest before glaring up at him huffily.

"What're these?" she huffed.

"Food," he replied back equally as cold. "And you should probably eat it outside, so I can clean your nests."

Galecoal rose to her feet, glaring at Rainpaw with eyes sharper than thorns. "Guess I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked deliberately slow, her gaze lingering.

Rainpaw lifted his gaze proudly. "Unless you want to clean your nests by yourself."

He heard Smallscratch gasp, could feel the elder's gaze on between him and Galecoal like water. But Rainpaw didn't care. He was tired of being treated like dirt. Galecoal only seemed to understand sharp tones and mean words.

A strangled noise came out of Galecoal, and for a moment Rainpaw panicked, wondering if she was having some kind of fit. It took him a moment to understand that it was her laughter.

After a moment of that, she flicked her tail. "I guess we'll make a warrior of you yet," she growled. "Come on, Smallscratch. There's bound to be some sun warming those rocks by now." And with that, she reached down, snagged the tails of the two mice, and padded out of the entrance.

Smallscratch gave him a half-shrug before following. Rainpaw took a deep breath, and released it slowly. Maybe he could prove himself loyal to his Clanmates after all.


	10. Chapter 8

Sorry it's been so long! I've been wanting to update this every Monday but you can't imagine how busy I've been. School has become a seriously sink/swim situation. Like I haven't had a break other than 4 hours of sleep per night for the past month! It's been bad. But the semester is done so I've had some time. Now don't be upset that this chapter isn't edited. I had literally yesterday and today to write it to make the deadline! But I completed it! Hope you enjoy!

-CL

* * *

The wind cut straight through Rainpaw's fur to his skin. He felt like it probably cut past that too. He shifted his paws, trying warm up, and felt the rough ground scrape his pads. Rainpaw winced. He had been born at the beginning of last Newleaf, and became an apprentice at the very beginning of Leaf-fall. This was his first ever Leafbare. He had always been told that Leafbare was a cold season, colder than all the others. But he had never imagined it could get _this_ cold.

Even without the wind, it was still very cold. The very air felt static almost, making his fur stand on end. He fluffed it out as long as it would go, trying to bulk up against the cold. Two days ago, it had snowed for the first time that Rainpaw had ever seen. The kits had come out to play, lead by ambitious Gorsekit, and Rainpaw had spent all day cleaning out the nests in the nursery and elders' den, stuffing them as full of mossy bedding as he could, warming them for the season.

Most of that snow had melted as soon as it touched the ground, but a small dusting of it remained even now. Not enough to cover the grass, and in the camp the warrior had long since stomped a path out of it. But when Rainpaw had gone out hunting with Silverfrost yesterday, he had felt it's cold, feathery touch against his sore pads. He almost longed for it now. The cold against his scraping would probably feel good.

Right now, he stood between Sedgeclaw and Owlflight, waiting patiently for Silverfrost to join them on a patrol of the RiverClan border. Sedgeclaw was a pretty brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes. She was a young she-cat, usually shy but very polite. Owlflight was a black tabby with wide amber eyes. Neither felt the need to talk, and Rainpaw was with them on that. He would need all his energy to run once they left on their patrol. The wind could be almost tamed within the confines of the camp, but once they left, they would be subjected to the full force of it. Yesterday it had been so cold little tears had formed in his eyes, freezing there.

One of the kits peeked out of the nursery, looking at them gathered there with wide eyes. Rainpaw recognized Toadkit instantly. The scruffy brown tom-kit was strange to say the least. It was clear he _wanted_ to play with the other kits, but he never actually did. Whether that was because his mother held him back or because Gougekit was so mean, Rainpaw couldn't tell. (And Gougekit _was_ mean. Rainpaw had heard him making fun of Stainkit for having different colored eyes the other day).

That wasn't the only weird thing Toadkit did. Rainpaw had never once heard the young kit talk. Silverfrost said it took time for some kits to open up, citing Auburnpaw as an example.

One time, Toadkit had been out messing with some fronds. He had been batting them around, looking happier than Rainpaw had ever seen him. Hollypool had come out the nursery and called to him once, twice. Toadkit must have been seriously concentrating on his game, because he hadn't even noticed his mother calling. Hollypool had looked around quickly. When she caught Rainpaw looking, she'd rushed over to grab Toadkit's scruff and hauled him back into the nursery.

Today, however, Hollypool didn't drag him back in. In fact, Toadkit appeared to be almost pushed out of the nursery as Heatherkit and Gorsekit pushed their way out.

"Thorntooth!" Gorsekit called loudly. Rainpaw drew his ears back and almost shouted at the she-kit. She would wake the entire Clan if she kept yelling like that.

"Hush, young one," Silverfrost said, brushing her bushy tail over Gorsekit's mouth. The small brown tabby looked shocked, her amber eyes wide staring up at the starry silver-furred deputy. Rainpaw felt a jolt of anger rush through him at the indignant look in Gorsekit's eyes, but Silverfrost either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. Instead of yelling at the she-kit, he leveled a glare at her, and was surprised when she glared back.

"Alright, let's go," Silverfrost said, trotting past them with a flick of her tail. Rainpaw shot one last look of content before turning to follow. He could still see Gorsekit's hateful responding look- almost smug in nature- as he followed them out of the camp.

The fierce cold that burned down to his marrow shook it out of his mind. At first it seemed that Silverfrost didn't want to run, as she looked around in disappointment. Then set off a brisk walk down the familiar path. However, as the sun rose over the horizon, leaking only little warmth onto the air around them, she began to move faster.

They didn't say much on the journey, simply running down the path to the river. The air was, if possible, _colder_ next the frozen water. Rainpaw stared in awe. The water was definitely moving, the flow hot enough to keep the very center from freezing over. But the edges were lined with ice, sometimes clinging to the rocky surface, others jutting out into the water far enough that, if Rainpaw were brave enough, he could have jumped to the other side without getting wet.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Sedgeclaw asked him quietly. Her voice carried a touch of seriousness that balanced out the light airiness of it. Rainpaw sort of liked the sound, in a way. He was used to the abrupt nature of many of his Clanmates. Sedgeclaw's softness, not soft enough to be kittypet, but not sharp enough to be abrasive, was like a breath of fresh air. Preferably warm.

"It really is," he answered just as Silverfrost called to them, "Keep up!" Rainpaw exchanged a bemused glance with Sedgeclaw, who only shrugged.

The patrol cut their way through the reeds, getting right up against the border. Silverfrost laid down a marker at a usual spot, Owlflight at another. When it was Rainpaw's turn, the scent-marker he left emanated heat against his body as he laid it. He winced when he was done. He did not like the cold against his body.

Silverfrost must have felt the same, or that there was little to report, because not long after Sedgeclaw left her scent she lead her small patrol along the quickest route back to camp. The air was crisp and the running was helping Rainpaw feel a little less chilly.

They pounded into camp, nodding to Pineclaw who was on watch. And they froze. The sight inside the camp gave Rainpaw chills entirely different from the kind the cold air gave him.

Hollypool and Thorntooth were in the center of the camp. The senior warrior had his teeth bared in Hollypool's face, forcing her to back up. Well any regular Warrior might have. Rainpaw certainly would. But Hollypool was not backing down. She lashed her long wiry tail and hissed in return.

WindClan seemed to have woken up in the duration of the patrol, as they should have. They stood now, some circling worriedly, others watching with interest, but no one seemed to be intervening. Jumpleaf and Auburnpaw stood frozen, watching with matching fearful expressions. Rainpaw noted that they were both carrying a mouthful of herbs. He wondered who they were supposed to be helping.

"Your kit's an abomination! A freak!" Thorntooth spat, a fleck of white foam on his muzzle. For the first time, Rainpaw noticed that Toadkit, Gougekit, and Heatherkit stood behind Hollypool, crowded close together so their shoulders were pressed into each other's.

At once he realized what was happening. The familiarity the sight struck with him was so deep, so violent, he almost launched himself across the camp. He could remember, not that long ago, when Thorntooth had yelled at his sisters and him just like that. They had pressed into each other for comfort then too. And of course, Bluedapple had come to their defense, just like Hollypool was now.

"Keep away from my kits!" Hollypool hissed, arching her back.

"Don't you see how crazy your litter is!" Thorntooth responded angrily. "The way they behave is abnormal! They need to go!"

Hollypool opened her mouth to reply, fury in her gaze, but Silverfrost beat her to it. "Enough," she said icily, her voice carrying force unlike Rainpaw had heard her use before. He understood immediately why she had been chosen in Rustpelt's place for the duration of his illness. The respect her Clanmates had for her was only secondary to this natural authority that rang with her voice across the clearing.

It was effective, in a way. Neither warrior relaxed their stance, although they didn't push forward anymore either. Rainpaw had the feeling that Hollypool wouldn't back down until the threat to her kits was gone. As for Thorntooth…well he wasn't backing down. He eyed Hollypool menacingly and glared with utter hatred over her shoulder at her kits.

"Thorntooth," Silverfrost said in a clear voice. This was not the same as even before. This was an order. "Back down. _Now_."

The senior warrior obeyed hesitantly, taking a step back but not relaxing.

Silverfrost padded forward, turning to the nearest warriors. Houndwhisker and Smilecloud, who had been sharing a meal. "Where's Maizestar?" she demanded coldly. Not rude, but efficient.

"He's on patrol," Houndwhisker answered nervously. "With Crowswoop and- "

Silverfrost cut him off. "Fetch him, please."

The young warrior shared another glance with Smilecloud before racing out of camp.

Silverfrost returned her attention to the confrontation before her. "What happened?" she asked, voice still stern and authoritative.

Gorsekit popped her head from around Thorntooth's massive body, followed immediately by her littermates. Cloudkit and Skykit crowded around Stainkit, as if protecting him from something.

"It was Gougekit," Gorsekit answered in her bold voice. "He was making fun of Stainkit again."

"I told him to quit it," Cloudkit said, head high. "I told him he shouldn't be making fun of my brother when his _own_ brother is such a freak." He turned a haughty eye on Toadkit. The young tom, who had been avidly staring at him before, now looked hurt, but still didn't say anything. "That's when he attacked me."

Silverfrost narrowed her eyes. "Who attacked who?"

"Gougekit attacked Cloudkit," Skykit squeaked, looking nervous to be speaking up in front of the entire Clan like this.

Perhaps Silverfrost sensed this as well, as she spoke more calmly this time. "What happened next?"

"Thorntooth got really mad," Skykit admitted, glancing up at her father with a look of actual fear. "He jumped in." She was the only one of her littermates to look scared, though. Cloudkit looked almost angry, Stainkit still hadn't looked up from the ground, and Gorsekit…well she looked almost proud, her eyes slightly reverent as she stared up at her wild father. Rainpaw felt another surge of hatred towards the tiny kit.

Silverfrost lashed her tail, glaring at the senior warrior with genuine anger. "Okay," she said to the kits, not letting that anger through her voice. "You kits go back to the nursery. _Now_ ," she added when Gorsekit showed every sign of arguing. "You will wait there until we decide on a punishment for you."

Gorsekit again looked like she wanted to argue, but Silverfrost's words were so clearly a dismissal she hesitated. Finally she gave in and trotted after the other kits towards the nursery.

An awkward silence fell on them all as they waited. Jumpleaf and Auburnpaw quietly went about their business, disappearing into the nursery of all places with their herbs. Everyone else sat in the tense silence, waiting on Maizestar's return.

They didn't have to wait long. Soon they could hear paws pounding on the ground before the camp walls shook. Maizestar burst in first, fur fluffed up and eyes wide. It was clear that Houndwhisker had filled him in on the way, as he didn't look at all surprised by the scene before him. His eyes narrowed in what was clearly anger and he slowly approached the confrontation.

"Tell me," he said quietly as he approached. "What was so terrible it warranted a fight within the Clan." It was worse than if he were shouting.

Rainpaw had had almost enough. Slowly he backed away, turning toward the fresh-kill pile, but not hungry enough to really eat. Instead he turned over a couple of plump voles with his claws, debating what to take to Rustpelt.

After deciding a nice plump vole would do, he padded over to the Warrior's den, hesitating outside before making his presence known. Auburnpaw, of all cats, stuck her head out.

"Hey Rainpaw," she greeted, her soft voice taking him by surprise. "If you're looking for Rustpelt, he isn't here, but that mouse will definitely do him some good."

"What do you mean he's not here?" Rainpaw asked nervously. "Where'd he go?"

Auburnpaw stared at him intently, her yellow eyes boring into him. "Jumpleaf wanted the sick cats in the medicine den. He and Larchwing are there now. I'm just cleaning out his nest." She flicked her ears back into the den.

"What about Pushleaf?" he asked, thinking of the gray-eyed she-cat uneasily.

"She's in the nursery," Auburnpaw said, affection and awe deep in her voice. "She just gave birth this morning."

"Wow, really?" Rainpaw asked. He saw a flash of pride in Auburnpaw's eyes as she nodded. "Were you there?"

"My first litter," she announced proudly. Then she shuffled her paws in embarrassment. "Jumpleaf did all the work, really. I only watched."

Rainpaw touched his nose to her shoulder gently, feeling a flash of warmth for the young medicine cat in training. "I'm sure you did fine. What did she have?"

Auburnpaw smiled at the memory. "Just one kit. A tom. She hasn't named him yet."

"I can't wait to meet him."

She hesitated, looking at him. "Pushleaf's not taking visitors right now. She's too tired. But you'll meet him soon!" she added. "It's not serious. Pushleaf will pull through just fine."

"Okay," he responded. "Well can I take Rustpelt this prey?"

Auburnpaw frowned. "Actually I don't think Jumpleaf wants anybody visiting the sick cats right now. Maybe you should leave it with me. I'll make sure he gets it."

Disappointment penetrated Rainpaw's thick pelt, sharper than any cold wind on the moor. "Okay," he said, trying to sound more upbeat. "Thanks Auburnpaw."

"Sure thing," she answered with a sympathetic smile. "And don't worry about them, Rainpaw. Rustpelt's going to be fine. I'll tell him you asked about him, okay?"

"Yeah," he answered again, unable to hide his disappointment as easily this time. "See you."

He walked away, hardly noticing that the camp was practically cleared, at least of the confrontation they'd returned from patrol to. Maizestar must have sent Thorntooth and Hollypool to his den to work it out.

Things in camp were getting worse, he realized after a moment. No matter what Auburnpaw said, Jumpleaf wouldn't have quarantined the sick cats to her den unless it was serious. And the in-fighting…it was clear that some of the warriors _still_ thought the half-Clan cats were inferior, and they invariably grouped Rainpaw with them. What was going on? What was StarClan thinking?

He thought of the tiny kit nestled in Pushleaf's nest. The tiny kit would never know his father, just like Rainpaw. Only it was because Fierceheart, Pushleaf's mate, had died not long after Warriorpaw, when Rainpaw was still in the nursery…

Rainpaw stopped, a wave of emotion rolling through him. Many cats still blamed him and his littermates for that. It was easier to see how his Clanmates had been so moved by Bluedapple's breaking of the code. While Rainpaw would never believe that StarClan was punishing the Clan because of _him_ , Bluedapple _had_ broken the code in a severe way by having kits. Why she did it, Rainpaw could never guess. But so many families were torn apart because of it. He pictured defiant little Gorsekit, shy Skykit, angry Cloudkit, and frightened Stainkit…they'd had a fifth littermate, Splotchkit, who had died not long after his birth. Their mother, Cloverleaf, had died while they were still weaning. How could cats _not_ want to blame someone for the terror they'd endured?

He thought again of the tiny kit, just born today, lying in the nursery. He hoped that, despite not having a father, this kit would grow up normally. It was a stronger hope than any other, and for the first time, Rainpaw felt a wave of loyalty so strong it rocked him on his feet. Being a warrior was no longer just his job, his duty. He _wanted_ to protect that tiny kit from the bleak present his Clan lived in currently.

"Rainpaw," called a voice. He looked up to see Nightspots with Echospring and Runningstorm, kneading the ground impatiently with their claws. "We're about to head out on patrol and need another cat. Care to join?"

"Sure," Rainpaw answered, his voice more resolved than when he'd been speaking with Auburnpaw. "I'll come."


	11. Chapter 9

Hey guys! I need your help! I'm in need of names for Auburnpaw. I have no idea what to name her when she is made a full medicine cat. Any suggestions? Message me here/Comment on my story, tweet talaleisu2 or find me on tumblr talaleisu2

-CL

* * *

Rainpaw padded out of the apprentices' den a camp filled with white. "Agh," he spat, putting a paw over his face. "That's bright."

"Be careful," Tigerpaw muttered, shouldering Rainpaw out of the way as he stalked past. "You might go blind." Rainpaw glared after him, wondering when the surly tom would be made a warrior. He'd had an assessment scheduled for sometime in the near future. Maybe then he'd finally stop being such a grump.

"Don't mind him," Brightpaw's voice sounded in his ear. "Tigerpaw's always grouchy in the cold."

Rainpaw shrugged. "Doesn't bother me any." But Brightpaw's returning smile was a bit too sympathetic for his liking. "What are we doing today, anyway?"

The creamy and white she-cat sat down, scratching her ear with a thoughtful expression on her face. "I think we're doing a joint hunting session with the tunnelers," she said while she scratched. "Leapwind described it to me. A patrol of tunnelers go underground and scare out some hibernating prey. They direct the prey to certain entrances where waiting moor-runners catch them."

"Sounds simple enough," he said. "Who all is going on the patrol?"

"Well I know that Leapwind is planning on leading the moor-runner patrol. I don't know who she's decided to take with her." Brightpaw's voice got a little breathless as she continued, "And the tunnelers are being lead by Crowswoop." Rainpaw noticed how her voice stuttered a little on the warrior's name. He was about to comment on it when movement across the camp got his attention.

Rainpaw supposed it was a good thing that Jumpleaf felt comfortable enough to allow the sick cats back into their own makeshift den. It was bound to be warmer in there, now that Sparrowrush had joined them. A trio of sick cats. No, there were four still, weren't there? Pushleaf was in the nursery with her kit, but she was still sick.

Still, a trill of nervousness went through Rainpaw when the Clan medicine cat trailed across the snowy camp, followed closely by her apprentice.

"What's going on?" he asked Brightpaw, fear making his voice a little sharp. "Are the kits sick?"

"What?" she asked distractedly, still scratching her ear. She looked up and followed Rainpaw's line of sight. "Oh no. Saborkit is fine. Maizestar just asked Jumpleaf to look at Toadkit."

"Saborkit?" he asked, almost laughing.

"Yeah, that's what Pushleaf decided to name her kit. Silly name, if you ask me," Brightpaw added, watching Auburnpaw's tail disappear into the nursery.

"I kind of like it," Rainpaw said, feeling a flash of warmth through him.

"It's definitely unique," was Brightpaw's muttered response.

"But why is Jumpleaf checking on Toadkit?" he asked, getting back to the point. "He isn't sick, is he?"

"Well isn't that what Jumpleaf is going to find out?" Brightpaw asked, sounding slightly annoyed as she dug a claw into her ear. "All I know is after that fight, Maizestar decided to have Toadkit checked out."

"Why?"

"Thorntooth said that Toadkit was acting weird."

Rainpaw frowned. If Thorntooth were right about everything then the Clan would have abandoned Rainpaw and his littermates a long time ago. Why start listening to him now? "I thought Thorntooth was banned from the nursery."

"Only until the next Gathering. And remember, he spent a lot of time in there before the fight happened."

For some reason it made Rainpaw very uncomfortable that they were taking Thorntooth's accusation seriously. Sure, Toadkit was a weird kit, but that didn't mean he required the services of a medicine cat. He was probably going through some phase. StarClan knew that Rainpaw had. At one point he'd been obsesses with catching a sheep at the edge of their land, the ones whose wool had lined his nest. He'd finally seen them face-to-face the other day when he and Silverfrost had gone to collect wool for Pushleaf and Larchwing's nests. Those old dreams seemed laughable now.

Whatever Toadkit was going through, he _would_ get over it. So why couldn't Rainpaw be sure of that fact?

"Ugh," Brightpaw groaned suddenly, breaking his reverie. "It's no good. I'm gonna have to see Jumpleaf." Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"How come?" he asked, another flash of fear coursing through him. Was Brightpaw getting ill?

Brightpaw didn't seem to notice his momentary panic or his relief at her next words. "Ear itches. I think I have mites."

"Great," he muttered, edging away from her slightly. He was glad that she hadn't noticed his fear. It was stupid, really.

But then again, it wasn't. Already four cats in the Clan were sick. One was the deputy. One had just given birth. One was due to give birth soon. How many more of his Clanmates would fall ill? For a moment he was once again shook with understanding for his Clanmates. Hadn't they watched their Clanmates fall ill just like this? Only back then, not one of them had gotten better. They'd all died, including the queens and kits. And it had all happened after Bluedapple had broken the code.

Would he have turned out like them, if he had been any other cat in the Clan? If Jumpleaf or Auburnpaw had kits, and then he'd watched his Clanmates, his _friends_ die one by one, would he not have been as willing to try _anything_ to save them?

Rainpaw wanted to believe that he wouldn't have done it. No matter how scared he was, he wouldn't have wanted to condemn any kit to their death. Suddenly he was fiercely glad that Maizestar was who he was. It must have been terrifying to him, watching his Clanmates dying, powerless to stop it, and one medicine cat down. It would have been easy to blame Bluedapple for breaking the codes, to blame the three helpless kits for existing in the first place. It would have been very easy for him to let the Clan carry out the killer act out of fear.

But he hadn't. Maizestar didn't do anything out of fear. Instead he took control of the situation, forbade the Clan from harming Bluedapple or her kits, and continued to helplessly watch his Clanmates die. Many in the Clan had thought Maizestar weak for that, but Rainpaw couldn't agree. In his opinion, it must have taken great strength to make it through that.

Grumbling to herself, Brightpaw padded off toward the medicine den, shaking her head as she went. Rainpaw did not envy her. Ear mites were always annoying. He'd had a bad case when he was kit. In fact, the entire nursery had had them. He could not remember what Bluedapple had treated them with, only that it was strong-smelling and that she'd gotten a lot of grief for the Clan over it. Healing was no longer her job when she had kits to care for. Not that Bluedapple wouldn't use her healing skills in a heartbeat to save any of her Clanmates if she had to.

"This is ridiculous!" a loud voice cut him off mid-thought. He directed his attention to the middle of the camp, where Jumpleaf was leading a thoroughly reluctant Hollypool and obviously confused Toadkit to the center of the camp. "You already said that Toadkit wasn't sick. There's no need to do any more of your silly tests."

"Toadkit isn't sick with a traditional illness," Jumpleaf agreed. "But that doesn't mean that nothing's wrong with him."

Rainpaw was not sure that even if he ever retired an elder that he'd have the bravery that Jumpleaf had, facing Hollypool with _that look_ on her face. Maybe their medicine cat was exceptionally stupid. Although he wasn't sure he believed that. Maybe she was just suicidal.

"Auburnpaw," Jumpleaf said briskly. "I want you to hold up the leaves."

Rainpaw had assume that Auburnpaw knew what that meant. He watched in fascination as she picked up four long-tendrils and held them up by her teeth close together. Where did she even get leaves like that with all this snow?

"Toadkit," Jumpleaf said, looking at him. "How many leaves is Auburnpaw holding up?"

The distinctly fluffy-furred kit looked over to where Auburnpaw was standing, looking absolutely ridiculous. He looked back at Jumpleaf with wide, innocent eyes. "Four," he said, only it came out so slurred and disjointed it took Rainpaw a moment to understand what he'd said.

"Hmm," Jumpleaf muttered to herself, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Can you go over to Auburnpaw, please?"

Toadkit glanced up at his mom, looking truly worried now. Hollypool nodded tersely, her eyes lit with agitation. Toadkit didn't look entirely convinced, but padded across the camp anyway. He didn't look any more comfortable sitting next to Auburnpaw, despite her warm smile. Quietly he turned to face where Jumpleaf was watching him. The medicine cat patiently waited for him to settle himself before calling out to him.

"Toadkit! Come here please!" Jumpleaf called to him. Toadkit glanced at Auburnpaw in distress, but rose to his feet anyway. Together with the medicine cat apprentice, he trekked all the way back across the camp. Hollypool's eyes never left her kit's progress as he made his way back to them.

Jumpleaf looked thoughtful, her face guarded. "Auburnpaw, take him back the nursery," she ordered swiftly.

"Are we done?" Hollypool asked, sounding hopeful.

"No," Jumpleaf answered her, ignoring the she-cat's frustration. "One last test. Auburnpaw, take him back to the nursery. And Toadkit," she added, looking directly at the young tom. "Come out when you hear me calling you."

With a gentle touch of her tail, Auburnpaw guided Toadkit back toward the nursery. When Hollypool went to follow, Jumpleaf stopped her. "Just those two."

"Why? What's this about?" Hollypool demanded in a hiss. But the medicine cat didn't answer, just sat down, waiting patiently again for her apprentice and the kit to disappear from view fully.

Once they were out of sight, she called again. "Toadkit! Come on out Toadkit!"

By now a small audience had gathered, watching the testing to see what would happen. Over half the Clan had come out from their various dens to watch. Even Sparrowrush sat at the edge of the camp watching, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Several heads turned expectantly, waiting for Toadkit to come scurrying out.

But he didn't come.

Jumpleaf tried one more time. "Toadkit!"

No response.

Finally the medicine cat nodded, her eyes surprisingly downcast. "Just as I suspected. Auburnpaw, you can bring him out now."

"What's going on?" Silverfrost asked, walking forward with Maizestar on her tail.

"Toadkit is deaf," Jumpleaf answered somberly. Many of the watching warriors' eyes widened I shock. Rainpaw himself felt as though he'd run straight off the edge of the gorge. Deaf?

"What?" Hollypool asked blankly.

"He can't hear," Silverfrost explained to her gently, blinking sympathetically.

Hollypool bristled in agitation. "I know what deaf means!" she snapped. By now Toadkit had approached with Auburnpaw. She pulled him toward her with her tail, wrapping herself around him protectively. "So he can't hear? So what?"

Maizestar exchanged a deep look with Silverfrost, his eyes an endless vat of pity. "Hollypool, he can never be a warrior," Maizestar answered softly. Rainpaw had never heard him sound so gentle before.

"Why not?" she demanded, sounding almost spiteful. "So he can't hear. He can read lips just fine. And he's otherwise healthy, you said so yourself." She jerked her head in the direction of Jumpleaf, who just flicked her ears uncomfortably.

"That's not the point," Maizestar said. "Without hearing, how will he know commands in battle? How will he be able to hunt?"

"He couldn't be a tunneler either," Silverfrost added. "He wouldn't be able to read lips underground, and tunnelers rely as much on their ears as they do their sense of smell."

"He'll have exceptional vision," Hollypool said, brushing her tail along Toadkit's side fondly. "To make up for his lack of hearing."

Rainpaw was not entirely sure that was true. Could the kit train himself to have better vision than the rest? "Not underground," Silverfrost retorted. "There's no light down there for him to see. He'll be just as blind as the rest of us."

Hollypool glared up at them. "Well what do you want to do with him if not train him? Give him up to be a kittypet?"

Rainpaw could tell she wasn't, could tell that she didn't really mean it. It was such a preposterous idea that he almost snorted out loud.

So when Maizestar and Silverfrost exchanged another look, one full of meaning, it shocked him to the core.

Hollypool didn't miss it either. "You can't be serious!"

"We have to be serious," Maizestar answered. "This is affects all of our Clanmates."

"He's you're Clanmate too!" The venom in Hollypool's words was unmistakable. Her fur was beginning to rise on her shoulders.

"He's a liability," Maizestar said coldly.

The Clan fell silent at his words. All eyes were on him. Rainpaw glanced around the Clan and saw that many of the senior warriors were absolutely shocked at his words. Leapwind's eyes were round, and Pale-eyes's fur was fluffed up. Even Bluedapple was staring at Maizestar as if she'd never truly seen him before.

But others were nodding in agreement. Adderclaw looked truly undisturbed by Maizestar's words, and Talonwhisker was even nodding in agreement.

Silverfrost spoke, looking uncomfortable. "What Maizestar means is- "

"I know what Maizestar means," Hollypool snapped breathlessly. Rainpaw was surprised to see that she didn't look angry anymore. Even so, the hurt was plain on her features. "Toadkit being deaf means that he doesn't matter to you anymore."

"No!" Silverfrost objected, shooting what could only be described as a frustrated glance at Maizestar. "Toadkit matters. Don't you see, that's why we have to consider all possibilities."

"You want me to consider giving up my kit _for his own good_?" Hollypool still didn't sound angry.

"I- look, he's not going to be happy watching his littermates become warriors without him!" Silverfrost sputtered. Rainpaw had never heard any of the senior warriors sputter before, let alone _Silverfrost_.

"I'm still not convinced. Why can't we train him to fight and hunt. He'll do what he can. I know it."

"He'll be in danger if we do that," Silverfrost explained, almost calming down. "There are so many things we won't be able to communicate to him! What if he were running straight into danger, and we were unable to stop him because he couldn't hear us." Hollypool opened her mouth to answer but Silverfrost kept talking. "We can be as careful as possible and he could still put us in that situation. There's increased risk no matter what we do."

"Every warrior carries the risk of being injured or killed!" Hollypool answered tartly.

Maizestar spoke up again. "But not every warrior carries risk to his Clanmates," he said, sounding quite firm. "What if enemy warriors snuck past him into the camp and cats died because he didn't hear the enemy?"

Hollypool didn't answer and Rainpaw could tell she was really thinking about, _seeing_ it. He saw her eyes briefly dart to the nursery, where Heatherkit and Gougekit were hiding among the other Clan kits.

Maizestar continued, almost sounding sad. "We don't have enough paws to take care of him." In that moment Rainpaw felt like a kit again. He would have to live a lot longer, see a lot more, before he understood the ancient wisdom and sadness carried in Maizestar's dulcet tones. "Too many cats have died, both young and old. Too many are still dying." Rainpaw thought he saw his eyes flicker toward the sick-den. "We have too many apprentices, and not enough warriors. No one could train him."

" _I'_ ll train him," Hollypool said at once.

But Maizestar only shook his head. "No. Training Toadkit would take up all of your time, and we need you to focus on your duties as a warrior of this Clan. Toadkit can never be a warrior, which means he will never hunt or fight. We just don't have the room to take in extra paws and extra mouths right now."

Hollypool's lips quivered in a distinctly pained gesture. "Well," she spoke, sounding cold and broken. "I can see you've already made up your minds."

Maizestar bowed his head, appearing thoroughly defeated. "Silverfrost, get together a patrol," he said quietly. "Take the kit to the Twoleg nests on the other side of our territory."

"Right now?" Silverfrost gasped. Rainpaw could tell that, although she agreed with Maizestar's verdict, she was not ready to carry out such a task.

"Yes," Maizestar answered, barely whispering now. "Take him before the sun sets tonight." With one last pained look at the small kit, Maizestar turned and swiftly padded back to his den.


	12. Chapter 10

Hey guys, thank you for your feedback! I want you all to know that I read every comment, both on here and ao3, and I certainly get all your tweets! Auburnpaw's new name has been chosen, and will be revealed soon enough. Keep the comments coming! Thanks for keeping up with me and I hope you enjoy this next installment!

-CL

* * *

Once Maizestar had disappeared into his den, the Clan broke into movement. Little movements, swift in nature but not grandiose. Leapwind and Pale-eyes crowded together, not speaking but sharing significant looks. Bluedapple, who looked thoroughly dejected, disappeared into the warriors' den. Rainpaw suspected she was going to take a nap.

No one seemed to want to go back to their duties to the Clan. They looked hurt and a little scared, some angry, and mostly everyone was shocked. Rainpaw frowned, his fur prickling with distaste. Maizestar was the Clan leader. His word was law. Didn't his Clanmates care about that.

"I can't believe this," Mousepaw murmured in his ear, making him jump. His sisters were padding toward him. He could tell immediately what they thought of this decision by their faces. Pearlpaw's eyes were wide with distress while Mousepaw looked almost angry.

Rainpaw kneaded the ground in apprehension. "I mean, what can we do about it?"

The look Mousepaw shot him was pure disgust. "We're giving up a kit to Twolegs!"

"Maizestar says we have to," he muttered in discomfort.

Mousepaw's ears drew back. "You're right. Maizestar said to, and the Clan leader's word is law. But imagine," she whispered, leaning in so her face was next to Rainpaw's ear. "if Maizestar had not been feeling as merciful as he had the night _we_ were born."

Rainpaw didn't have answer for that. Mousepaw didn't wait for one anyway. With one last pitying look at Toadkit, she padded off to the apprentices' den. Pearlpaw hesitated, looking at Rainpaw with a look reminiscent to what Bluedapple had had when Maizestar had first called Toadkit a liability. It wasn't the full blown deal, just a shadow of that shock and upset. But it was potent, and made Rainpaw shift on his paws guiltily anyway.

"Rainpaw!" Silverfrost called, sparing him from having to speak. He could feel Pearlpaw's eyes on him as he padded forward to meet his mentor.

"Yes?"

"You're with us," she said briskly, indicating the small patrol waiting. With a jolt Rainpaw realized they were standing around Toadkit.

"Oh," he breathed, pawsteps faltering.

"Unless you can't handle this task," Silverfrost added, sensing Rainpaw's hesitation.

He could still feel Pearlpaw's eyes boring into him from this distance. "No, I can come."

Silverfrost stared first at him, then glanced up over his shoulder. He had a feeling she missed nothing of the interaction between him and his sisters. "Of course," she muttered, then turned. With a twitch of her tail, the patrol moved out, Echospring carrying Toadkit by the scruff.

It wasn't until the camp was long behind them that Rainpaw stopped feeling Pearlpaw's stare in his back.

…

Including Rainpaw, there were six of them total. The apprentice didn't know why they needed such a large patrol to take a small kit to Twolegs. Then again, they _were_ heading out of the territory in the snow. What if they ran into an enemy patrol? It would be easier if they had more warriors.

Toadkit never touched the snowy ground. When Echospring grew tired of carrying, Owlflight took over. Then Patchcloud. Then Runningstorm. Then Silverfrost. Rainpaw volunteered to carry him, but was too small to hold him up substantially.

They made their way up to the high end of the moor, approaching the border that Rainpaw had patrolled a couple of times, but never crossed. He knew that if they crossed the border and headed toward the Thunderpath from here, they would get to the Highstones and the Moonstone. Instead, Silverfrost paused, looking towards where the sun rose in the morning. In the distance, dark masses of Twoleg nests rose, blotting out the horizon in the midday sun.

Silverfrost glanced around her Clanmates, her deep blue eyes resting on Toadkit. For a wild moment, Rainpaw thought she might change her mind and take the kit back to his mother. Their parting with Hollypool had been almost painful. The black-furred she-cat had rubbed as much of her scent onto him as she could, licked his face many times. Toadkit had not understood what was happening at first. Even now, smaller than he'd ever seemed in camp, more scared-looking than Rainpaw had ever seen in his life, Toadkit didn't look like he fully understood what was going on.

Silverfrost took a deep breath and walked on. Patchcloud passed Toadkit on to Runningstorm once they'd crossed the border.

The walk to the Twoleg nests seemed shorter from the top of the moor. As they actually made the walk on the downward sloped ground, Rainpaw realized that the buildings were further away than he'd originally thought. And much much bigger.

By the time they actually reached the first nests, the sun was almost to setting. They'd each had to pass Toadkit around again and finally Rainpaw had figured out how to carry the tiny kit on his back. That's how they were now, with Rainpaw in the middle and the patrol surrounding him. Surrounded by body heat as they were, Toadkit should have been warm. However the kit's paws were like ice on Rainpaw's back, his body shivering with the cold his kitten fluff couldn't keep out.

"We're here," Silverfrost said, coming to a halt. Rainpaw had the feeling that she was not entirely happy about this.

"Now what?" Runningstorm asked scathingly. "Do we just approach a nest and leave him there?"

"We can't," Owlflight answered, staring in concern at Toadkit on Rainpaw's back. "He'll freeze."

"What if the Twolegs don't want him?" Echospring asked.

"Of course they will!" Patchcloud responded, looking almost scandalized. "Twolegs love capturing cats and keeping them in their nests."

Echospring hissed, sounding annoyed. "We should have thought this through more! Now we've got a kit too cold for travel in the middle of Twolegplace and no plan!"

Silverfrost raised her tail, another signal. "We did what Maizestar asked," she said, her voice filled with that unspeakable authority again. "I think we should ask a kittypet to take him."

"Talk to a kittypet?" Runningstorm asked, sounding less assured. "That sounds stupid."

Patchcloud hesitated. "What other choice do we have?"

Rainpaw felt eyes on him and turned his head. Silverfrost was looking at him, eyes narrowed. Maybe she wanted to know his opinion. Should he dare voice it, surrounded by warriors as he was? Why had she even brought him on this patrol?

He opened his mouth, ready to speak when a new voice cut him off.

"You folks lost?"

The voice was not unfriendly, but the WindClan warriors responded with vehemence anyway. They formed a line, with Silverfrost in the middle, keeping Rainpaw and Toadkit in the back. They moved as one, fur up in a sign of aggression, claws out, and a loud hiss.

Peering between them, Rainpaw was able to see who their mystery attacker was.

It was a she-cat, not clearly a kittypet, although he had to guess that's what she was. Why else would she be this close to Twolegplace? She was a pretty white spotted tortoiseshell with eyes so bright he could see them from this distance. He couldn't decide if they were blue or green.

She hadn't seemed to aggressive at first, but now that the shock was quickly wearing off, she took a defensive position. Her claws slid out, her fur fluffed up. Her eyes were not just bright, Rainpaw noticed. They roamed over the line of cats, taking in their stances and showing, not fear, but steady confidence instead.

For a moment nobody moved. Then she spoke again. "Your kits are going to freeze."

Indignation flashed through Rainpaw from his ears to his tail tip. _I am not a kit!_

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Silverfrost's tail brushed his lips, reminding him to be silent.

"What're your names?" the she-cat asked, her voice not wavering in the way Rainpaw's would have if he were facing six angry warriors.

Silverfrost hesitated, looking up and down the line. Owlflight shrugged, but Runningstorm shook his head. "Don't answer," he hissed.

"This could be the opportunity we're looking for," Patchcloud said eagerly. "If she's a kittypet, she might be able to help us find a home for Toadkit!"

"Or, she could be a rogue and will attack us when we tell her more about ourselves," Runningstorm hissed back. "If we let our guard down, it would be easier for her."

Silverfrost pouted, seemingly decided. "It's an uneven fight, and we have the advantage. It can't hurt to talk to her." Making her voice loud enough for the stranger to hear her, she spoke. "I am Silverfrost, deputy of WindClan."

Rainpaw ignored the jolt of frustration that ran through him. There was no way for Silverfrost to explain how she was the _temporary_ deputy until Rustpelt was better. Not only one the explanation take way too long, but the stranger-cat would probably be more confused after the explanation than she was now.

She certainly looked confused. Her eyes were bright with curiosity, her one ear twitched as she tilted her head. Rainpaw noticed a tuft of fur sticking up from the back of it.

"Silverfrost? That's a weird name. Who're your friends." Her eyes flitted up and down the line.

Silverfrost indicated each cat as she spoke. "These are Echospring, Runningstorm, Patchcloud, and Owlflight." She stepped forward ever so slightly. "This is Rainpaw and Toadkit."

The stranger-cat blinked, looking at them all individually, her eyes lingering on Rainpaw with Toadkit.

"My name's Marjorie," she said after a moment. "Where are you from? What are you doing with that kit?"

There was an accusatory edge to her voice that struck Rainpaw as rather brave. Facing six wild Clan warriors would have been terrifying to any other cat, but not the odd rogue.

Silverfrost did not miss it either. "You are brave to ask," she said, dipping her head. Marjorie looked stunned, as though she had never seen the honorable gesture used before. "We're searching for a Twoleg home for Toadkit. A safe place. Do you think you can help us?"

Clearly they were getting to her. The flattering tone which Silverfrost presented their request was hard to ignore. When Marjorie answered, her voice was a little less belligerent than before. "Oh sure. I'm sure my Twolegs will take him." She stopped, eyes narrowing. "Why are you giving him to Twolegs. Aren't your kind proud to be wildcats?"

Rainpaw could almost _feel_ the collective cringe in Silverfrost's answer. "Toadkit is deaf. He would not survive Clan life."

Marjorie hesitated, looking at him. Rainpaw could see it when her gaze softened, when Toadkit's tiny frozen kitten-form had won her over. "Yeah, I'll take him back to my Twolegs. They'll love him."

"Thank you," Silverfrost said, dipping her head again. "WindClan will owe you a life-debt."

The kittypet looked thoroughly humbled by her words. "We just lost Alistair," she admitted with sadness, as though it made any difference. "They were pretty upset about it, I think. Toadkit will be welcome."

"Do you need an escort home?" Silverfrost asked. Rainpaw was curious to see her housenest. Was it safe enough, warm enough for Toadkit? Would the Twolegs take the small kit? He wondered if this was the reason behind Silverfrost's offer.

But Marjorie shook her head. "I think I know the way." There was a hint of frostiness in her reply. "And I don't live that far from your border. You know, if you want to visit."

Silverfrost exchanged a glance with Owlflight. Rainpaw suddenly wondered if Toadkit would ever see any other Clan cats again in his life.

Marjorie padded forward, once again hesitant. "I guess I should take him, then?"

It was a request for permission. When Silverfrost nodded, Marjorie walked forward with more confidence. Rainpaw glanced at Silverfrost, nervous about giving the kit away to this stranger-cat with no guarantee that Toadkit was going to be safe and warm tonight.

Silverfrost took a deep breath before nodding this time. Rainpaw padded forward nervously, sniffing at the she-cat as he went. Her scent was icy sweet, with a hint of something entirely unfamiliar to him. She smiled at him in a reassuring way, but it didn't make him feel better about the whole thing.

Slowly, she reached over his head, her grasping Toadkit's scruff in her teeth and leaning back with the Clan kit in her mouth. Toadkit looked half asleep, but it wasn't until Rainpaw was back behind his Clanmates that a sense of urgency seemed to snap Toadkit awake. He began to struggle, wordlessly yelling. Although he was not articulating any words, it was hard to miss the panic there.

Owlflight spoke, looking directly at the kit. "Don't worry young one. She will take care of you."

Marjorie did not set him down to deign them with a response to either the kit's panic, or Owlflight's words. She just padded swiftly in the direction not far from where they had come.

Once he was gone, it was as if a heavy silence enveloped them. It was a while before Patchcloud spoke, remind them of the cold and the rapidly setting sun. The patrol made their way back in silence. Although they were all tired from their long journey (and an unspeakable exhaustion that came from their completed task) they moved at a quick pace and didn't stop once, not even to remark the border once they'd crossed it.

It was dark when they reached camp, the moon already risen. Adderclaw was on guard duty, looking quite cold. He gave them a brisk nod before taking off into the night, probably to check all the camp entrances, Rainpaw suspected.

Rainpaw was curled up in his nest when the thought finally occurred to him. He was on the brink of sleep, warm and soothed knowing that he had the morning off tomorrow, thank you Silverfrost. It struck him like a thorn to his backside, piercing his unconscious away and making room for a whole slue of new speculations. Bluedapple had to travel a lot to get herbs when she'd been the medicine at, everybody knew that. Medicine cats also didn't have borders. She'd travelled outside them all the time between her half-moon meetings with the other medicine cats at the Moonstone and regular interventions on other Clan's behalf. There was a distinct possibility that she'd gone outside the territory as far as Twolegplace before.

What if she had met other cats there? What if she'd liked one in particular? What if Rainpaw's father was actually a kittypet?


	13. Chapter 11

The Clan was not the same after Toadkit was taken away. A sort of depression had taken over them. Many thought it was a sign of the Clan's downfall. There weren't enough warriors left to take care of those who couldn't care for themselves.

Silverfrost practically ran the Clan. Without her, probably nothing would have gotten done. Even the senior warrior had a hard time stomaching what Maizestar had decided. Rainpaw could see that he had lost quite a lot of respect from his Clanmates. Before they'd listened to him because they felt he was someone worth following. Now they only did because he was the leader.

Some cats surprised Rainpaw with the intensity of their reactions. Galecoal was parading around the camp, yelling loudly that they better give her up to be a kittypet too, since she couldn't hunt or fight. When asked, she could and would go on all day about how the honor of the Clan was tainted by Maizestar's inability to effectively lead. Rainpaw couldn't prove it, but he was willing to bet that she was upset in place of her friend. Smallscratch had been noticeably vacant, keeping to himself in the elders' den and not responding when asked to join for Clan meetings.

Pale-eyes, Pineclaw, Patchcloud, and even Adderclaw were not as polite as usual. Rainpaw noticed that they acted rather coldly towards Maizestar whenever he was around. Although Rainpaw didn't see him often, he could tell that Rustpelt was pretty upset whenever he _did_ see him, not that he saw him often. Rustpelt, along with all the other sick cats, were not coming out of the den very much at all. Rainpaw wondered if they were worried about being a burden on the Clan as well.

Crowswoop was angry. Rightfully so. The Clan had willingly given his kin away. Although the tom never said or did anything beyond what was normal, it was clear that he was very upset. He kept his head up, his tail straight, his eyes clear. Rainpaw was beyond in awe. If his sister learned anything from the half-Clan tunneler, Rainpaw hoped it was this quiet dignity he carried with him everywhere.

Mousepaw wasn't talking to him, and that was a problem. Rainpaw wasn't sure what he could have done differently. After all, he was just an apprentice, not a magic maker. He felt it was a bit unfair of his hot-tempered sister to act so passionately about something he had no control over.

He wasn't sure how to make it up to her, but he needed to get on it fast. After his time in Twolegplace, he'd come up with a plan to work on the next lead of who his father was. They had promised to work together to solve the mystery, and he did not want to go forward without her.

It was difficult, and he didn't get many chances to talk to her already. Silverfrost had him and everyone working double the usual amount.

"Since Maizestar's so worried about the Clan starving, we'll just work extra hard," she'd said with a hint of sarcasm. Just the barest hint. Nothing incriminating.

That meant he was working double patrols, extra hunting, twice the amount of cleanup at the end of the day because everyone was so tired that no one wanted to change their nests. Galecoal was complaining that hers was staring to stink, although Rainpaw knew for a fact that Flamepaw had cleaned it only yesterday, because he'd grumbled about it all night.

And it really didn't help that Mousepaw seemingly didn't want to talk to him. He tried! StarClan knew how hard he was trying! But if he so much as opened his mouth, she always turned away.

Rainpaw was slowly becoming obsessed with the idea. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Bluedapple was already going to bring shame to the Clan by having kits. It would only make it worse if she had kits with a kittypet. So much worse that she'd rather keep the secret to her death than tell even her kits.

Finding a mate didn't happen over night. Cats spent _moons_ building that kind of trust. He had seen it happening between his Clanmates. The weird moments some of them shared. The way Smilecloud and Houndwhisker shared every meal together. How Beetlewing and Orchidfur would sometimes sit close enough to brush fur.

Bluedapple taking a mate anywhere probably would have taken even longer, as she would have had to feel strong enough to break the warrior code for it. That meant she would have had to spend a lot of time with the mystery stranger. Long enough for the tom to become their mystery father.

Which means _somebody_ saw her in Twolegplace. While he had no proof, Rainpaw was willing to bet Marjorie had seen her there. She'd said she lived near the border. And Bluedapple wasn't likely to travel very far beyond, as he was certain there weren't that many herbs that WindClan didn't already have growing. Either way, if she were to wander and find a mate, it would be out there, and Marjorie would have seen it.

So that was the plan. Talk to Marjorie. Find out the truth once and for all.

Only he couldn't do it without Mousepaw. Well he probably could, but he wouldn't. And they should probably tell Pearlpaw too. They _all_ deserved to know the truth, not just him.

But how could he convince them to go with him? Especially after the Toadkit incident? Nobody in the Clan was feeling very friendly right now, but Mousepaw had been particularly icy. At least Pearlpaw was amicable as always.

"I don't know what you want me to do," she said slowly, her eyes troubled. "I can't make her change her mind about it."

"Just talk to her on my behalf," Rainpaw encouraged. "She won't listen to me!"

Pearlpaw shook her head slowly, not a 'no' to him, but thoughtfully. "She was really upset about the whole Toadkit thing," she admitted, wincing at the name of the kit. "I am too, if it comes to that."

Rainpaw drew his ears back, feeling hurt by her words. "I'm sorry!" he said. "I really didn't have a choice in the matter."

His sister didn't answer, just stared at him intensely. "Fine," she responded after a while. "I'll talk to her. But I can't promise she'll be willing to listen."

"Thank you," he said breathlessly, and he meant it.

Afterwards, he had a patrol with Pineclaw, Hawkfall, and Flamepaw. They seemed to dawdle way too long for Rainpaw's liking, marking practically every blade of grass along the ShadowClan border. He knew that Lynxstar had been hinting at coming trouble at the last Gathering. According to Flamepaw and Brightpaw, she'd really talked about the hardships of finding prey on the marsh in the coldest season of Leafbare. Many of the Clan complained about the extra patrols. It had been nearly an entire moon, and there hadn't been any trouble. Yet. However Maizestar had chosen to interpret it as a warning, and he probably wasn't wrong. As much as Rainpaw's fellow Clanmates didn't like it, Maizestar knew what he was doing. Rainpaw trusted his judgment.

They padded back into the camp with Hawkfall in the lead even though this was technically Pineclaw's patrol. Pineclaw padded over to where Nightspots was working on the camp wall. Hawkfall disappeared straight into the warriors' den- Rainpaw remembered that this was his second patrol today, as the warrior had gotten up to lead the dawn patrol.

Flamepaw lifted his tail in a friendly gesture. "Come on, let's take some of those mice to Galecoal. It'll cheer her right…up…"

The orange tom froze in place, causing Rainpaw to run into him. "Flamepaw," he said gruffly. "Can't you watch where you're going?" Then he froze too, when his eyes caught sight of exactly _what_ had turned the ginger apprentice into a block of ice.

It was Mousepaw. Only Rainpaw had never seen her, never seen _any_ can look so furious. He wouldn't have thought it was possible if Mousepaw wasn't currently glaring at him like that.

For a long moment they all sat there, staring at one another. Flamepaw in horror, Mousepaw in anger, and Rainpaw in surprise. Then a small bundle of fur tumbled into him, causing Rainpaw to jump and the spell to be broken.

The bundle was Cloudkit. Rainpaw was surprised by how big the kit was. He remembered the kits as being tiny, but now Cloudkit was almost as big as Rainpaw was. His white fur was fluffed up, making him look only a little bigger. "Watch it!" the kit snarled before turning and racing back to where his siblings were waiting for him.

Fury rolled over Rainpaw in a sudden and intense wave. "You watch it!" he snapped back, but the kit was not paying attention, having already commenced whatever game he was playing with his littermates. Thorntooth was watching from the camp wall, a look of smug pride on his face.

Rainpaw turned his head away, looking for Mousepaw, but she was already gone. The anger turned abruptly into exhaustion.

"Let's go," he muttered to Flamepaw, padding to the fresh-kill pile to pick a nice mouse for Galecoal.

…

Rainpaw was on the verge of sleep. Right there, _so close_ was…something. He couldn't say what, except that he'd been looking for it for some time. He _wanted_ it, whatever it was. He needed it.

His paws pounded on the crisp grass and he took off, running as fast as he could. Nearly there…

Out of nowhere came a snowdrift, nearly flattening him as it piled on. His wail cut off as snow filled his mouth. More snow, more more more….

He jolted awake with a start, his heart pounding in his chest. For a moment he felt lost, as if he didn't know what was going. A glint of frosty ice in the moonlight caught his attention. It was sharp, bright. It grounded him. He took a deep breath and sat up.

It was just past twilight, the sky not entirely dark yet. Tonight was an early night for him, as he had dawn patrol tomorrow with Sparrowclaw and Forestheart. His head pounded at the thought. These days he always seemed on the verge of collapse. He was working too hard. Everyone was.

He felt rather than saw his sister staring at him. With dawn patrol glaring him in the face, he really didn't want to argue with her right now. Determinedly, he turned his back, padding back into his nest.

A derisive snort behind him made him freeze. He turned slowly, looking to see Mousepaw was openly glaring at him again, Pearlpaw eyeing them nervously.

"Is there a problem?" he asked icily. He expected a rebuff maybe, or silence in response. Instead his sister looked at him as if he had just asked the most stupid question she'd ever heard, then rose to her feet. He watched incredulously as she stamped past him, out of the den entirely.

He glanced at Pearlpaw, who's only response was to shrug. With an exasperated sigh, he followed, Pearlpaw hot on his heel.

"Mousepaw," he called as she stormed away. "Tell me what's going on."

His sister came to a halt, whipping around and _finally_ talking to him. "What's going on is that Toadkit was supposed to be protected from danger by the Clan, and the Clan just gave him away the moment they found out he was different."

"I know that!" Rainpaw argued, his anger from early surging back in full force. "But what does that have to do with _us_? Why are you so angry at me?"

"You supported it," Mousepaw snapped, glaring at him with her fierce blue eyes. "You were perfectly okay with it."

Rainpaw shook his head. "Of course! Maizestar is the Clan leader! I had to do what he told me to do."

"That's not the point," Mousepaw practically snarled. "It didn't matter to you that the Clan gave away one of our kits."

Rainpaw drew his ears back. "What difference does it make?"

Mousepaw was suddenly serious, her eyes glinting with some unreadable emotion. "What if it was us?" she asked, her voice strained. "What if Maizestar had decided that the Clan didn't need us when we were kits, just because we're different?"

Rainpaw froze, looking at her. "That's not the same thing."

"Isn't it?" Mousepaw asked. "Many of the Clan didn't want us. What if he had decided to give us away because of the circumstances of our birth?" Rainpaw had no answer to that, so he said nothing. "It matters," she said slowly.

After a pause, he said, "I'm sorry. It's just…the Warrior Code says…."

"I know," she answered sadly. "But remember, there is no Clan without us. Maizestar would listen if only the Clan would speak up."

Rainpaw nodded, feeling shame curdle in his stomach. He really had just passively let Maizestar give away a Clan kit, when the Clan was meant to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. What kind of Clan was WindClan if they couldn't even care for their own kits?

"What did you want, anyway?" Mousepaw asked suddenly. "You seemed keen to talk to us." She waved her tail, indicating herself and Pearlpaw.

Letting go of his shame temporarily, Rainpaw leaned forward in excitement. "I think I have an idea who our father could be."

"Our father?" Pearlpaw asked wide-eyed at the same time that Mousepaw exclaimed, "Who?"

"Well…" and he quietly explained to them about his suspicions, telling them about meeting Marjorie and the hopes that she might have answers. "It makes sense," he finished. "If Bluedapple went there, Marjorie would have to have seen her."

To his dismay, neither sister looked as thrilled as he felt. Pearlpaw looked almost alarmed, while Mousepaw shook her head.

"We have no proof of that, Rainpaw," she said slowly.

"That's why we have to go!" he answered, a little too loudly. With a glance around to make sure nobody was watching, he lowered his voice. "The only way to know for sure is to ask."

"So what, we just go to this kittypet's barn and hope she knows something?" Mousepaw demanded skeptically.

"It's the only way to know for sure," he countered. "And you said you'd help."

Mousepaw groaned, as if he were being intentionally stupid, but it was Pearlpaw who answered. "Rainpaw, this is silly. It's not like we can just go to Twolegplace. The warriors would never allow it!"

Rainpaw waved his tail dismissively. "We don't need to ask for their permission. We just gotta go."

His sisters gaped at him.

"Rainpaw that's…" Pearlpaw started.

Mousepaw cut in, "Breaking the Code."

Impatience filled Rainpaw. Couldn't his sisters see how important this was? "We're not going away for days here!" he explained emphatically. "Not even for one night. We just gotta ask her if she saw Bluedapple. Then we'll know the truth."

"And then what?" Mousepaw asked smartly. "Say she _was_ there. Then what are you gonna do, Rainpaw?"

He shifted his paws uncomfortably. "I'm not sure yet," he admitted, then carried on hurriedly as his sisters rolled their eyes. "But at least we'll know! That's better than not knowing anything!"

Pearlpaw scraped her pad over the icy ground, looking distinctly awkward. "I'm sorry Rainpaw, but that sounds an awful lot like sneaking out, and I don't want to break the warrior code."

"But our father- "

"It doesn't matter," Pearlpaw interrupted, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter to me who our father is. I just want to be the best warrior I can be. Breaking the Code doesn't help me do that."

Rainpaw felt an insane urge to snap at her, but stopped himself, not without effort. "Fine," he said a little sharper than he intended. "You don't have to come. But I'm going. Mousepaw?" he asked, turning to his other sister.

Mousepaw frowned unhappily. "I'll go," she said at last, her voice a little dejected. "I promised I'd help, so I will."

Relief washed over him. Somehow, he realized in that moment, he'd been nervous about Mousepaw's answer. "Okay," he said, voice lighter now that at least one of his sisters was agreeing with him. "Let's go tomorrow, after sunset."


	14. Chapter 12

Hey guys! Thank you for you patience! Last week I was unable to update because I was very sick, and I'm grateful to those of you who sent me well-wishes. Those sentiments kept me going this past week. I hope you enjoy the latest chapter update and what's to come!

-CL

* * *

After a day including dawn patrol, the fastest rabbit Rainpaw had ever caught, and an impromptu assessment of his fighting skills by Silverfrost, Rainpaw had a hard time not falling right to sleep the moment he lied down in his nest. The only thing that helped was the feeling of Pearlpaw's eyes on him as he curled up. He knew she did not approve of this mission, but decided she would support them anyway. Secretly he was glad for her cover. It was good knowing that somebody was back at camp, waiting for them to come home.

Once the Clan had settled, Rainpaw rose to his feet. Mousepaw stood when he did, and to his surprise, so did Pearlpaw. There was no one in the clearing. Rainpaw could hear the breathes of all his sleeping Clanmates. The timing was perfect. The full moon shown down into the Clearing, lighting up the snowy camp as if it were glowing. Tomorrow was the Gathering, Rainpaw noted, which meant that they were going on the brightest night they could. It also meant that they had tomorrow to rest, as their Clanmates wouldn't want them too exhausted for the Gathering.

"Be careful," Pearlpaw said, touching noses with each of them in turn. "And come back quick. I won't lie to my Clanmates if you're not back by sunrise."

"We'll be fine," Rainpaw assured her. "We're going to Twolegplace. With _kittypets_. We'll be able to handle them just fine."

Pearlpaw did not look entirely convinced, but nodded anyway. "Good luck."

With Mousepaw close to his side, they padded out of the camp and onto the moor. Luckily for them, the wind had blown most of the snow off of the more and down towards the Thunderpath, so they would not be walking through snow. Still, the wind tore straight through their fur to the bone. They huddled together, trying to share warmth from their bodies as they pressed on, walking as quickly as they could without separating physically.

The journey was longer than Rainpaw remembered. Snow combined with wind had washed away all of their scent, so there was no trail to follow. For a moment, trepidation filled him. What had he gotten them in to? But Mousepaw's warmth pressed against his side, her quiet confidence in his mission and her belief in his conviction a talisman against the doubt and the cold.

They pressed onward.

The territory was silent give for the howling wind. He felt Mousepaw shivering against him, and sped up his pace slightly. As they raced across the moor, Rainpaw was surprised by the sudden warmth in him. The cold air still biting down to the bone, but for the first time, Rainpaw felt free as his paws thrummed against the ground in time to his sister's.

They didn't pause at the border. To stay any longer would be a waste of time. Instead, they flashed past it, racing in the direction Rainpaw though Marjorie might have gone. It was a long shot, but still their best bet. He remembered after Brightpaw and Flamepaw's journey to the Moonstone, they had talked about a barn not far beyond the border where they'd been able to catch plump mice. Marjorie had said the same thing, that there was a barn near their border where she lived, and now Toadkit too. He was willing to bet that these were the same barn.

Out of the darkness came a wooden structure, tall, taller than any rock or tree Rainpaw had ever seen. This must be the barn that they were looking for. They approached slowly, a sense of unease bursting in his chest as if he'd been struck by lightning. What if he was wrong? What if Marjorie wasn't there after all? Was this journey a waste of time?

Instinctively they crept forward, moons of training teaching them to be cautious rather than curious. It was all too easy to walk in to danger. If they were smart, they could avoid that.

There was no scent on the air to tell him they were right, but the wind was blowing behind them. That meant the scents of the barn were blowing towards them. A familiar smell hit his nose at the same time that Mousepaw's ears pricked with interest.

"It's her," he whispered, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

Mousepaw's tail went up and she responded equally as quiet, "I don't smell Toadkit."

"Looking for me?" a new voice cut in, not bothering to keep her voice down.

Rainpaw jumped, whirling around with his claws out. Beside him, he felt Mousepaw follow suit. But as his eyes took in the image of her, a pretty spotted tortoiseshell watching him with blue eyes, he relaxed. "Marjorie!" he gasped in relief.

Her eyes were light with amusement, a pucker in her lips to suggest she was hiding a smile. "Rainpaws, is it?" she asked. "I do hope you're not here looking for your kitten."

"Rainpaw," he corrected. "And this is my sister Mousepaw."

"So many paws," he thought he heard her mutter. Then she nodded politely. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"What do you mean about coming back for our kitten?" Mousepaw asked, eyes narrowed as the wind whipped her long fur into her face. "Is he okay?"

Marjorie's ears twitched. "Of course he is!" When Mousepaw did not convinced the tortoiseshell beckoned with her tail. "Here, come look."

His sister glanced at him, eyes wide in alarm. Rainpaw could only shrug. He couldn't help but trust Marjorie. After all, she had taken Toadkit in without questioning it, and something about the way she had not feared the warriors struck with him. There was no doubt in his mind that Marjorie _could_ hurt them, if she wanted to. Yet she had a smile on her face and a gleam in her eye that he trusted. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew. She wouldn't hurt them.

They followed her towards where the barn stood out against the ground, sharp-angled and unnatural. Rainpaw expected her to lead them there, as that's where she'd said she lived, but she didn't. Instead she lead them right past the barn and straight toward what had to be a Twoleg nest. It had the same pointed edges as the barn did, but was definitely smaller. There were what appeared to be holes in the side of the structure, where harsh light poured out from the inside.

It was actually kind of scary, and Rainpaw did _not_ want to get any closer. He would gladly trade into training as a tunneler than go near that Twoleg structure. Marjorie, however, seemed perfectly comfortable with their proximity to the nest and continued towards it at a steady trot.

"This way," she said, and he thought he could hear a ghost of a laugh in her voice, as if she sensed her guest's unease and found it amusing. Rainpaw abruptly thought of Rustpelt. What would his mentor think, seeing him here? He'd probably think it was stupid for Rainpaw to have traveled so far. But would he be proud or dismayed by his apprentice's fear? Rainpaw was training to be a warrior, for StarClan's sake! It was in moments like this that he needed to act like it.

Summoning up every ounce courage he had, Rainpaw padded after the barn-cat. Mousepaw flashed him a worried look, but followed just the same.

Marjorie lead them right up to the nest. Rainpaw could see, once he was closer, that it wasn't made of wood or stone. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure _what_ to call it. Sounds emanated from the walls, running water and a high pitched whine he did not like. He was about to ask what that sound was when Marjorie bunched her haunches, and leaped straight up into the air.

Rainpaw felt downright alarmed now, and he could tell that Mousepaw shared his sentiments. Still, they were representatives of WindClan, and if a kittypet was brave enough to do it, it couldn't be so bad. So, with a mighty leap of his own, Rainpaw joined her, quickly followed by Mousepaw.

The nest was cold underpaw in a way the ground was not. He lifted one paw, and then another, hoping back and forth as though standing on something hot, not something frozen. He stopped when he noticed Marjorie eyeing him, that amused look back in her eye.

There was just enough ledge to put his feet, though it was cramped with the three of them there. From this angle, he could easily see into the nest. The floor was wooden, with what appeared to be fur at some places. There were strange objects all around, things he could only guess as to what they did. Unnatural light filtered down from the roof, illuminating the entire room.

And there were Twolegs! Rainpaw had never seen them before, let alone so close-up. Ugly, hairless creatures with the largest paws he'd ever seen. They were holding something in their hand, cooing at something on the floor. Something moving…

"Toadkit!" Mousepaw breathed.

"See," Marjorie said, sounding downright smug now. "The Twolegs adore him. Even if you wanted him back, there's no way they'll let you take him."

It did indeed appear as though they liked him. They were watching him play with similar expressions to what the queens had when they watched their own kits playing. They were on the floor next to him, pulling a long strand of something on the ground for Toadkit to chase, and they laughed whenever he pounced.

As for the kit, well, he actually did look happy there. His eyes were aglow in a way they'd never been in camp, and when one of the Twoleg's held out their nasty big paws he brushed against it. They could not hear from out here, but Rainpaw imagined that he was purring. In a way, it made him kind of sad, though he knew it should only make him happy that Toadkit finally fit in. He wasn't sure why, but it did.

"Well, thank you for showing us this," Rainpaw said, turning away to look at Marjorie instead of the scene before him. "It's good to see that Toadkit is happy."

Marjorie narrowed her eyes. "But that's not why you're here," she guessed.

"No," he said. "We wanted to talk to you about something else."

The she-cat nodded sagely. "Let's go back to the barn. We can talk there, out of the cold."

She lead them back towards the barn. They didn't have to jump for this one. There was an opening that she simply lead them through. Rainpaw suppressed a shudder as he followed her in. At least there wasn't any of that glaring light from the nest, and she was right that it was sheltered from the cold.

Once they had settled, Marjorie turned to them curiously. "Okay," she said. "Now please tell me why you came all this way to talk to me, if not for your kit."

Now that the time had come to actually ask, Rainpaw was not sure he could do it. A sudden, paralyzing uncertainty shook him to the core, stronger than the fear he felt going up to the Twoleg structure or being in this barn. Was he about to find out the identity of his father?

Mousepaw laid her tail comfortingly on his shoulder, and Rainpaw shook off his doubts. He'd never learn anything if he didn't speak now.

"We're looking for a cat," he admitted. Marjorie's eyes widened and there was a flash of some unknown emotion in her eyes. Was it fear?

"I don't know how I can help you with this," Marjorie said after a moment. "I don't know anything about you Clan cats."

Rainpaw shook his head. "It's not like that. We're looking for- " he cut off, wondering how best to continue. Mousepaw was staring at the ground while Marjorie looked downright perplexed. "We were wondering if…our mother, she might have come here before. She would have been looking at plants. You see, she used to be the medicine cat."

Rainpaw froze and Mousepaw flashed him a look of panic. He'd blurted it out without thinking, and now it was too late to take it back. He waited for something, anger, shock, any kind of response. But when Marjorie continued to stare at him with that same perplexed look as before, his worry faded. Understanding bloomed in his chest, bringing with it intense relief. Marjorie didn't follow the Warrior Code. She didn't know that medicine cats weren't supposed to have kits, didn't realize how deeply Bluedapple had broken the Code, just by conceiving them. They could tell her about it, and she probably wouldn't care. It was almost relieving in a strange way.

"She looks like her," he said breathlessly, feeling weightless all of a sudden. With a jerk of his chin, he indicated Mousepaw sitting beside him. "Was she here? Did she talk to anybody?"

He held his breath as he waited for Marjorie to respond.

Finally, Marjorie shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about," she admitted. "I've never seen any Clan cats come here before you gave me your kit. Sometimes the cats will stop by, but they're always going somewhere, coming from somewhere. Nobody ever stuck around for very long, and certainly nobody's ever come looking at plants."

Dejection filled him, so deep it blotted out everything else, even the cold. It wasn't until Marjorie said her answer that Rainpaw realized just how much he'd been counting on her knowing. It seemed almost unfair that they had come all this way for nothing. _Again_.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help," Marjorie said softly, seeing Rainpaw's disappointment. "I hope you find her."

"Thanks," Mousepaw answered cordially. "For your help and for Toadkit."

Marjorie's answer was heartfelt, true. "Anytime." They were quiet for a moment, looking at Rainpaw. He felt empty, boneless, tired. There was nothing left for them there.

"Let's go," he grunted, getting to his feet. Mousepaw followed.

"Won't you stay?" Marjorie called. "At least until dawn?"

"We can't," Mousepaw answered when Rainpaw didn't. "We have training tomorrow. But thanks for the offer."

"Of course," Marjorie murmured. "Stay safe on your way home."

"Yes, thanks," Rainpaw grumbled back, not wanting to be rude. "Take care."

With that the apprentices left her, padding back the way they came. The wind had blown all but a faint trail left, and they stuck to it as they walked. For a while they went in silence. It was good because it left Rainpaw to his thoughts.

He had been wrong. Bluedapple had not come here. Now that he thought about it, it had been quite a stretch. Twolegplace was far away. Every plant they needed grew on their territory, and even if there wasn't, it would be easier to ask another one of the medicine cats for the plants they were out of. As a medicine cat, Bluedapple didn't recognize borders the way the warriors did. If they really needed a plant, and say ThunderClan had plenty of it, she could go over and get it if she really wanted.

Once again, he was wrong, chasing daydreams rather than dealing with reality. Reality was that Bluedapple had broken the code, and he would probably never know who with. It wasn't fair.

A warm tendril draped over his shoulders as Mousepaw laid her tail over him comfortingly. "Rainpaw," she said quietly. "I'm sorry you didn't hear what you wanted to. At least we know we're Clanborn now."

He snorted. No one in the Clan would have had relations with a medicine cat. Their father was probably just some rogue, long gone by now and not knowing that he had left three kits behind. But he couldn't say this to Mousepaw. All he replied with was, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," she murmured, withdrawing her tail.

The sky slowly turned from deep black to gray. On one end of the sky, the moon slowly slunk toward the horizon while on the other light slowly seeped in to cover the stars. Once they'd crossed the border, they ran flat out, their tails streaming behind them. By now the dullness that'd crept in after his talk with Marjorie was being replaced with a simple need to get home. There was more. The dawn patrol would be setting out soon. It was important that they got there first.

The sun had just broken the horizon when they got back to the camp. They hesitated outside, looking down at where the Clan slept peacefully on.

"Listen," he said quietly to his sister, turning away from the camp to look at her. "We need to be careful doing this. Maybe we should go in through the Dirtplace."

Mousepaw wrinkled her nose. "That's stinky," she answered. "Let's just walk in, and if they ask where we went we can say we went for a walk."

Rainpaw shrugged. "You lead, then," he suggested, stepping aside to let her go first. Mousepaw deigned him a disdainful look and a raised brow as she slid past. Following her lead, they walked the rest of the way down the slope.

They had just broken through the camp entrance when Mousepaw stopped, and for the second time in two days Rainpaw walked into a standstill cat.

"What?" he hissed, then he froze too when he saw what she was looking at. "Oh no…"

There in the center of the camp, Silverfrost sat with her tail over her paws, waiting for them expectantly. He could tell immediately that she knew, and wouldn't take any excuses. Her eyes glinted like ice and her body language screamed trouble.

From her side came Pale-eyes, followed by Pearlpaw. Their sister eyed them from a distance, anxiety rolling off of her in waves. When their eyes met, shame crossed her face, and she bowed her head. "I'm sorry."


	15. Chapter 13

Is it just me or does it feel like it's been longer than a week since I last updated? Hope you all enjoy! Feel free to review(:

-CL

* * *

"Completely irresponsible," Silverfrost said, pacing in front of them again. "Utterly idiotic."

"Silverfrost," Maizestar said warningly, but his deputy ignored him.

"You could have been hurt!" she exclaimed, turning to face the apprentices. "You could've gotten lost, or froze to death!"

Rainpaw winced, not daring to glance at his sister although he knew she felt the same. Maybe not entirely the same. He could sense bitterness from her very fur. This was not hurt fault, Silverfrost had to know.

"Silverfrost, please, I- "

" _Stop_ talking," she interrupted again. "Be quiet and hold your tongue, Rainpaw."

He didn't turn his head, but felt Mousepaw shift a little beside him. His jaw snapped shut, feeling indignation and frustration building in his stomach. If Silverfrost would just let him get a word in edgewise, he'd be able to explain it properly to her. But she was so upset that Silverfrost had not stopped yelling and pacing since they'd been escorted into Maizestar's den.

Finally she stopped pacing, putting her face so close to theirs that Rainpaw could see white hairs around her whiskers. "What I don't understand is _why_ you decided to leave Clan territory, sneak out of camp, lie to everyone. What was the purpose of this fruitless adventure of yours?"

Apparently Pearlpaw hadn't told them everything. He had a feeling that if he told them the truth, it would go very badly. So instead, he said the next best thing. "We were looking for Toadkit. To make sure he's okay."

Silverfrost's sharp gaze softened. Rainpaw could tell that she didn't believe his words for a minute, but she didn't press the matter. Instead she sat back, looking from him to Mousepaw. When her blue gaze lingered on his sister, he felt Mousepaw drop her head swiftly.

"Well," she said coldly. "Did you find out?"

"We- yes," Rainpaw answered, not liking the look on her face one bit.

Silverfrost seemed to be waiting for something. "And?"

He couldn't help glancing at Mousepaw at this. To his surprise, she was looking at him too. There was no answer in her gaze, just more questions. It seemed that Silverfrost was waiting for an reply of some kind. Rainpaw remembered that she had not been particularly happy about Maizestar's decision, even though she'd hidden it quite effectively. Maybe, despite her tone, she was genuinely curious too.

"He's fine," Rainpaw answered. "Seemed perfectly happy."

Silverfrost narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharpening again. "Well then," she said icily. "I'm glad you found out."

Now that they had broken the barrier once, Rainpaw was not as uncomfortable glancing again at his sister. His sister's returning stare was almost relieving. There was no anger or tartness there, just reservation.

He snapped his head back to attention when Silverfrost spoke again. "Neither of you will be attending the Gathering tonight," she said cuttingly. Rainpaw had expected that. Then she continued. "And you are both confined to camp until further notice."

" _What_?" Rainpaw shouted, ignoring Mousepaw's warning jab.

Silverfrost turned her frosty gaze on him. "You heard me."

"We can't just stay in camp!" Rainpaw protested indignantly. "What about patrols? Or hunting? The Clan needs- "

"As deputy of this Clan, _I_ will decide what the Clan needs," Silverfrost snarled. "And the Clan needs warriors who will follow the Code!"

"But- "

" _Silence!_ " she shrieked, spittle flying. Rainpaw fell silent at once, gaping at his mentor. He oddly felt as though he had never seen her before. At least he'd never seen her this angry before. Silverfrost took a couple of deep breaths, composing herself with each inhalation. Her fur flattened along her spine, though the sharpness of her gaze did not let up. "You will not leave the camp without expressed permission, and a warrior there to chaperone you." Rainpaw wanted to argue again how inefficient this punishment was, but had the sense not to speak again. "You will wait for further assignments. You're dismissed."

"Actually, Silverfrost," Maizestar cut in. Rainpaw winced to remember that their Clan leader had been witnessing this the entire time. "I would like a word with them."

The silver-furred she-cat dipped her head. "Of course, Maizestar. Pale-eyes will be waiting for them outside the den."

With a flick of her tail, Silverfrost disappeared out the lichen sheen separating Maizestar's den from the rest of the camp. Rainpaw got a flicker of the camp outside the lichen. He thought he could make out Bluedapple sitting patiently outside the den.

Maizestar stared after her. "Don't mind Silverfrost," he said without turning his head.

Mousepaw bowed her head while Rainpaw looked at his leader, _really_ looked at him. Maizestar was older than he'd thought, he realized suddenly. His muzzle had streaks of grey in it, surrounded by an aura of weariness that Rainpaw had never noticed before. Not _fragile_ exactly, but rather worn. He'd heard growing up that Maizestar was a wise cat, and had been leader even when some of the senior warriors had been born. Only a spare few remembered the days before he was in charge. Somehow it had never occurred to him before just how _old_ his leader was.

Maizestar turned and looked at him with those ancient eyes, both indefinitely wise and infinitely sad. "You're too young to understand," he rumbled, looking from Rainpaw to Mousepaw. His voice carried that same emotion as his eyes, one that Rainpaw knew he'd have to live a lot longer to really understand. "Sometimes when a cat is real scared, they act mean."

"Why?" Mousepaw asked, tilting her head.

Maizestar shrugged, jaw jutting out a little. "Why does the sun always rise in the same place? It's in their nature."

He sat down, facing them but not quite looking at them. "I'm very disappointed in you both," he said, as though he were admitting something he was not inclined to say. It was not loud, not angry, but somehow he said it that way, Rainpaw felt almost worse than when Silverfrost had been yelling at them.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, humbled in the presence of his leader. Mousepaw made a wordless sound of agreement.

"I know you are," Maizestar said, finally looking directly at him. "I know you two don't normally ignore direct orders. You two are extraordinarily well behaved for such young cats. What I want to know," he continued, ignoring their shocked expressions. "Is why you _really_ went to Twolegplace."

When neither apprentice so much as grunted he continued. "I gave the order for Toadkit to be sent away, and that's that. Whether it was the right or wrong call, I cannot say, but it is still a part of the Warrior Code to follow it. You two have never shown any inclination towards rule-breaking before today, so you must have had a very good reason to do it. I want to know why."

Choosing his words carefully, Rainpaw answered, "Like I said, we were looking for Toadkit." It came out a little sharper than intended, but Rainpaw didn't care. If he said them certain enough, maybe the Clan would believe it to be true.

Maizestar's eyes bore into his own, as if the leader were hoping to read Rainpaw's true intentions there. Rainpaw's heart pounded as his leader continued to silently stare, his eyes getting more focused with each passing moment. Uncomfortable, Rainpaw fidgeted a little in his place.

At long last, Maizestar broke eye contact. "I guess I deserve that much," he muttered as if to himself. Rainpaw exchanged another shocked look with Mousepaw, who he could see understood that comment as much as he had.

When Maizestar spoke again, it was louder, to the apprentices again. "You can go." His voice was carrying that ancient sadness again that Rainpaw couldn't understand.

…

Bluedapple was waiting for them outside the den instead of Pale-eyes. In fact, Rainpaw couldn't see either his or Mousepaw's mentor anywhere in sight. They must have left the camp.

"You two," their mother snapped, her eyes ablaze. But as they lingered on her two kits' faces, they slowly calmed. When she approached them, she was calm rather than upset. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"We're fine," Mousepaw reassured her. She sniffed them each in turn, as if not trusting their assessment.

"I don't know," Rainpaw argued with her. "I'm certainly hurting from that tongue-lashing we just got!"

"Well you earned it!" Bluedapple snapped, finishing with a flick of her tail over his ear. "You'll be fine," she added as she finished her assessment.

"Of course we will," Rainpaw said, stretching his front paws out and arching his back downward. "Once we've eaten and rested we'll be good as new."

"I should think not!" Bluedapple chided. "You're too clean out all the nests in the elders' den and nursery today."

"But that'll take all day!"

Bluedapple nodded sagely. "That's the point! Labor should straighten you two out." Her gaze softened again, her eyes light. "I told Pale-eyes I'd fetch you both fresh moss for the nests. Silverfrost looked as though she were on the warpath, so I suggest we get moving!"

Rainpaw groaned but followed Mousepaw straight towards the elders' den to get started. They had just gotten to the opening of the den when Pearlpaw appeared out of nowhere.

"Guys, I'm so sorry," she said desperately.

Rainpaw frowned at her attitude. "Pearlpaw, we're not mad at you. You did what you had to do."

Pearlpaw leaned forward, touching her nose to his and breathed a sigh of relief.

…

Darkness had fallen by the time they finished cleaning out all of the nests. It was a tedious project and it left Rainpaw's claws aching. Bluedapple had helped them finish after bringing in fresh moss. Rainpaw had the feeling she wasn't supposed to be doing that, but she was anyway.

When they'd finished, there was barely any traces of food left. Bluedapple permitted them to share a mouse. It wasn't a full bit of prey, and it left Rainpaw's stomach aching, but it was better than nothing and he appreciated it just the same. Silverfrost had given him the impression that they weren't allowed to eat at all.

Those going to the Gathering were long gone by now. Mousepaw and Rainpaw finished the last traces of mouse, looking around the camp. There were a spare few cats left. Leapwind was washing outside the warriors' den, Leopardstripe pressing into her side. Beetlewing and Orchidfur were brushing out of camp together, Rainpaw presumed to take watch. Hollypool had brought Gougekit and Heatherkit out into the clearing to play. About the middle of the day, the sleek she-cat had approached Rainpaw and Mousepaw, timidly asking about Toadkit. They'd rushed to assure her that Toadkit was safe and happy where he was, and that she needn't worry. Perhaps their talk had made her more confident.

When they had finished, Rainpaw was just thinking about going to his nest. If he hadn't been so hungry, he might've gone to sleep earlier. Now he had to deal with Mousepaw insisting they should wait up for those who'd gone to the Gathering rather than sleep. It would "look better" she said repeatedly.

Rainpaw was just starting to think he didn't care what the Clan thought when they finally, _finally_ returned. To his greater expectation, Maizestar jumped up on the Tallrock immediately to call for a meeting. What surprised him was the expressions on everyone's faces. They all looked excited, almost. There must have been some really good gossip at the Gathering.

"All cats old enough to hunt for their own prey, gather under the Tallrock for a Clan meeting," Maizestar called unnecessarily. Already most of the Clan was gathered, although Rainpaw noticed Beetlewing and Orchidfur slipping back into camp. Hollypool ushered her remaining kits back into the nursery where they stayed out of sight.

Pearlpaw appeared at his side suddenly, eyes troubled. Rainpaw wondered what happened at the Gathering with a new light. It must have been bad.

"What happened at the Gathering?" Sparrowclaw called aloud.

Maizestar sat down. "Lynxstar has hinted that trouble with ShadowClan is done, which is great because we might have a problem with SkyClan."

"Wait, why?" Sparrowclaw asked, confused.

"Because Rightheart has joined our warrior ancestors," Maizestar answered. His eyes were troubled. "And Tanglestar has seen fit to appoint Falconblaze in his place."

Rainpaw frowned. He'd heard of Rightheart, the noble SkyClan deputy. He'd heard more too. Rightheart was Tanglestar's son. Gravelpaw's kin. Of course Rainpaw had never actually met the cat, only heard stories.

And of this Falconblaze, Rainpaw had never even heard of him. But based on the dark looks some of his Clanmates shared, he suspected that there was a story there.

Maizestar answered it before Rainpaw had to ask. "For those of you who do not know, Falconblaze is very…unforgetful. Long ago, there was a vicious battle between WindClan and SkyClan. Falconblaze's kin died during that battle. He took the loss very personally."

Rainpaw's ears drew back in confusion. He flashed a glance at Mousepaw, who looked likewise perplexed. What did Falconblaze's history have to do with anything? Did his Clanmates think that this new SkyClan deputy would lead a war on WindClan?

Based on the near tangible tension between all of his Clanmates, it seemed that's exactly what they thought.

"What are we going to do?" someone called.

Maizestar lashed his tail. "We are going to do nothing."

"With all due respect, Maizestar, but is that wise?" Hawkfall asked, getting to his feet. "Couldn't you at least speak with Tanglestar about it."

"It is not WindClan's decision how SkyClan performs its business," Maizestar said authoritatively. "I can no more tell Tanglestar who to appoint as deputy as he can tell us to appoint. And I fear that speaking with him on such a personal level will only incite the war we want to avoid. Our best decision is to mourn Rightheart's death with the rest of the forest, and show Falconblaze the proper respect of his new position."

"But what if they attack?" Leopardstripe asked nervously.

Maizestar's eyes darkened. "Then we fight."


	16. Chapter 14

We're getting somewhere! Hope you all enjoy!

CL

* * *

All Rainpaw could smell was rabbit. With super focus, he tiptoed forward, not allowing his paws to so much as whisper against the ground. It was early in the day, the sun only just having risen above the horizon, and this prey could feed two to three cats easy. The elders had been saying that the days were getting longer the air warmer, and thus the prey easier to catch. Rainpaw wasn't sure how much of that he believed. It was still very cold to him, and he still felt as though the day ended just barely after it had begun. No matter, this rabbit had to be caught.

He wasn't sure what set it off. He hadn't thought he'd made any noises, and his pawsteps were light enough that this rabbit should not have sensed him. The rabbit lifted its head, going still in the way that Rainpaw knew the rabbit had seen him. And then it was running, faster than the usual rabbit.

"Mouse-dung!" Rainpaw cursed. His paws churned up a cloud of dust as he dug his hindpaws in to give chase.

The rabbit ran in a straight path. If Rainpaw didn't catch up to it, would cross straight over the RiverClan border. He was lifting his paws faster than ever, he felt as though he were truly flying….

"No!" he groaned, skidding to a halt right at the border as the rabbit flashed over. So close! He'd been so close! If only he'd been a second faster….

"Rainpaw," a voice said from nearby, causing him to jump. He relaxed when he saw the speaker edging toward him noisily from straight up the path were the rabbit had gone. Had the RiverClan tom missed that succulent piece of prey? Or was he so intent on Rainpaw that he'd simply failed to notice it?

"Hey Gravelpaw. What's up?" Rainpaw said grumpily, sitting down and scratching his ears. Despite what Brightpaw said about having been treated, Rainpaw suspected that she'd spread her earmites to everyone in the apprentices' den. First Flamepaw, then Pearlpaw, and now Rainpaw was scratching.

He was so focused on his itchy ear he didn't notice right away that Gravelpaw didn't respond. Rainpaw glanced up, noticing for the first time just how glum the RiverClan apprentice looked. "What is it?" he asked a little more seriously this time.

Gravelpaw hesitated, it seemed, looking at Rainpaw with wide eyes. Rainpaw had not noticed before just how strange colored they were. A weird blue/green. "Rainpaw, we're friends, right?"

Rainpaw winced a little. "I mean…" he stopped mid-explanation for why they _couldn't_ be friends. Gravelpaw clearly had something he wanted to say. What harm would it do Rainpaw to find out? "Friends. Sure."

Gravelpaw was already nodding. "See, that just proves that you can have friends in other Clans!"

"Yes- Wait, what?" Rainpaw cut off, caught off guard.

Gravelpaw leaned forward. "I don't understand it! Cats from different Clans can be friends! You and I are friends, and your from WindClan."

Rainpaw stared at Gravelpaw, jaw agape. He had no idea where this was coming from. He had seen and talked to Gravelpaw all of one time in their entire lives. Of course, that one time Gravelpaw had only stopped talking long enough for the leaders to do the Gathering, otherwise he had not shut up once.

And suddenly it clicked. It was like understanding washed over Rainpaw as if the river had overflown. "SkyClan becoming more distant?"

It was the opening Gravelpaw had been looking for. "I saw a patrol of them on the border this morning, and they acted as though we were enemies!"

Well that _was_ a little strange. Usually SkyClan and RiverClan were real close. Rainpaw leaned in with interest, opening his mouth to ask for more details when a voice cut him off.

"Gravelpaw!"

He looked over his RiverClan companion's shoulder to see a gray tabby glaring at him with the same blue/green eyes that Gravelpaw had. Rainpaw had never met this tabby directly, but he certainly was no stranger. This was Heronflight, the RiverClan deputy, and Gravelpaw's father.

Heronflight padded stiffly forward to stand beside his son. "Who's your friend?" he sniffed, eyeing Rainpaw disinterestedly.

"Heronflight!" Wolfmask called suddenly, making his way down the slope to where the three cats stood on the border. Rainpaw offered a little sigh of discontent. Despite everything Jumpleaf was doing, Rustpelt had died of the sickness infesting the camp. The Clan still mourned, as did Rainpaw. He had never known a colder night than laying by his past mentor's side in the chilly wind, wishing that the body next to him were still breathing.

Rainpaw was not certain he'd ever forgive Silverfrost for what happened next. Rather than step up, Silverfrost had announced that she no longer wanted to be deputy. It had shocked him immensely. In the time that she had taken over, Rainpaw had grown to think of her as Maizestar's second, the one to run the Clan beside him, the rightful cat to fill that position. And she'd turned it down. In fact, she'd asked to retire.

This bothered Rainpaw beyond belief. Couldn't she have stayed on long enough to complete his training? Why did she have to retire when he'd already switched mentors once? At first he had not been too thrilled about having her as a mentor, but he'd really grown to respect her. It was weird not having her teaching him anymore.

So Wolfmask was now the new deputy and his new mentor. He wasn't a bad a choice. Actually, as far as third mentors go, Wolfmask was definitely the one Rainpaw would have chosen. He just wished he hadn't had to have a third mentor.

Wolfmask padded forward, tall and with an air of confidence that suited him. The dark tabby ran his tail over Rainpaw's mouth, seemingly accidental, but a signal to hold his tongue. He faced Heronflight again, nodding politely. Rainpaw knew exactly what caused the RiverClan deputy to narrow his eyes like that. The greeting was not a respectful gesture from warrior to deputy, but a nod between equals.

"Wolfmask," Heronflight said a little stiffly. "Arriving late to the scene I see."

Rainpaw bristled in indignation, but remembered Wolfmask's warning. Instead of answering, he simply watched to see his mentor's reaction.

"Naturally," Wolfmask said simply. "I know I never need to worry about my apprentice's behavior on the border." Heronflight took a deep, seething breath. Rainpaw saw Wolfmask's nose twitch in amusement. "And is this your apprentice?"

"This is my son," said Heronflight, a tinge of pride ringing in his mew. "Gravelpaw."

"Ah yes," Wolfmask said, appraising the RiverClan apprentice with a sweeping gaze. "He does look like you."

"Yes," Heronflight answered, sounding cold. "And this is?"

"My apprentice," Wolfmask supplied readily. "Rainpaw."

Heronflight's eyes gleamed, looking Rainpaw up and down. "Rainpaw, huh? I have heard of this one." By the gleam in his eyes, Rainpaw could easily guess where his name had come up. The Medicine Cat's kit. Very illegal.

"Rainpaw has made quite a name for himself, hasn't he?" Wolfmask asked conversationally, leaning back as if to examine Rainpaw. "He is very fast."

"Naturally," Heronflight said, eyes still lingering on Rainpaw's form.

Rainpaw glanced up at his mentor nervously, and was surprised when Wolfmask looked directly at him _and winked_. It was such a Rustpelt type gesture it made Rainpaw's chest ache.

"Yes, Rainpaw can be quite sullen. We're hard-pressed to get anything out of him. At least he's pretty quiet at the borders!" Heronflight's glare intensified at these words. It took every ounce of self-control that Rainpaw had not to laugh. "Well we better go. See you at the Gathering, Heronflight, Gravelpaw!" Wolfmask waved his tail and lead the way, gesturing for Rainpaw to follow.

When they were out of earshot, Rainpaw turned to his mentor. "That was great!" he laughed. "I thought Heronflight was going to attack you."

"He can't," Wolfmask said, looking fairly pleased with himself. "We've got to be diplomatic, as deputies."

"What a shining example you are," Rainpaw quipped.

Wolfmask merely chuckled in response to that. Changing subjects, he said, "Let's get back to camp. We don't want to be late for the ceremony."

Rainpaw groaned. The apprentice ceremony where Thorntooth's kits were named apprentices. That meant that apprentice's den, which was already quite full, was going to be overflowing again.

"Hey," Wolfmask chided gently. "Be supportive of your Clanmates. This is a big day for them. Speaking of which, what happened to that rabbit?"

"It went straight over the border," Rainpaw admitted. "I wasn't able to get it."

Wolfmask frowned. "What a shame. That was a nice rabbit. Oh well, I caught a mouse nest. You can carry one of mine."

Rainpaw nodded his thanks but didn't say anything. He knew it was rude, but he was afraid of what his voice would sound like. Letting Rainpaw carry his rabbit into camp so he didn't look like a jerk was also the kind of thing that Rustpelt would have done. The many ways Wolfmask reminded him of his original mentor was an ever growing list. It always caught him off guard, and continued to surprise him every time.

They walked in silence for only a short time because, as Rainpaw was figuring out, Wolfmask did not seem to like lasting silences. "So I was thinking I was thinking of taking you the Moonstone tomorrow if the snow isn't bad."

Rainpaw froze, shock jolting his limbs to a sudden halt. "What?"

Wolfmask stopped too, turning back to face him with a serious face. "I know I haven't been training you that long, but you're almost at your final assessments. I think it's time you went."

"Wow," Rainpaw said. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't say anything," Wolfmask said padding forward again. "Other than promising me eternal gratitude." His voice wavered as he held back a laugh poorly.

Rainpaw chuckled, "I'll get right on that." He frowned, looking at the sky. It was a solid wall of white. "Is it really gonna snow?"

"Yes," Wolfmask said unhesitatingly. Rainpaw waited for him to elaborate further, but Wolfmask did not continue.

"How do you know?"

Wolfmask glanced at him, as though there was something he was not inclined to talk about. "I get headaches."

They stopped then to pick up his prey, buried under a rough hole in the ground. Rainpaw wondered how much it had hurt to scrape the frozen dirt out. Once they had picked up the prey, the two cats padded on into camp.

Most of the Clan was already gathered. Rainpaw dropped his prey on the pile and hurried over to where his sisters were waiting. He glanced towards the apprentices' den, where the four kits were lined up side-by-side. Rainpaw briefly felt bad for them. At least at his apprentice ceremony, Bluedapple had been there beside him, telling him what to do. Those kits' mother, Cloverleaf, had died when they were still very little. Rainpaw remembered that they'd had another littermate who'd also died.

Thorntooth was with them now. The fierce ginger tom was pacing back and forth behind them, his eyes glowing with pride as he took in each of his kit's forms. Rainpaw couldn't hate him in that moment. Maizestar had forced him into retirement without a ceremony. His kits were all he had left, both of his lost mate and of his legacy.

From this angle, Rainpaw had a new perspective on the ceremony. Although it was customary for all the warriors to sit together, he thought he could tell who had been selected to mentor from the rest. They were sitting a little straighter, closest to the Tallrock where the apprentices would be given their new names. Oddly, there were only three there that seemed probable. Rainpaw looked as hard as he could, but couldn't guess.

The sheet of lichen on Maizestar's den twitched as he stepped out. With a fantastic leap, Maizestar stood on the Tallrock facing the Clan.

"It is an honor to stand here once again to perform one of my favorite duties," Maizestar spoke. "But before I begin the ceremony, there is something I must say.

"Many lifetimes ago now, I took a vow before StarClan. I vowed to protect this Clan, even at the cost of my life. I vowed to honor each and every warrior, and to give every cat the respect they deserve. I would like to think, in my time, that I have honored that vow. Each and every one of you are of utmost importance to me."

Maizestar's gaze swept over the Clan, lingering for just a second on where Rainpaw sat with his littermates. His golden eyes carried that ancient sadness again, that both impressed Rainpaw and held the weight of his words as he spoke them.

Then he continued, "Which is why it is my duty to honor those who aren't here today for one of my favorite ceremonies. When the sickness struck the Clan, many strong, bold warriors died. Maybe they did not die the warrior's death in a battle with another Clan, a fight for their own. But they died with honor, and we must stop to respect them on this day.

"Two of the cats who are not here right now in particular that I must mention: Cloverleaf, who loved her kits with the ferocity which she carried herself with, and Splotchkit, who will never grow to know the life of a warrior." Maizestar's voice shook with emotion.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, remembering the cats who died. Rainpaw tried to remember Cloverleaf and Splotchkit, but all he could picture was a brown tabby she-cat. He couldn't remember Splotchkit at all. The young kit had not outlived his mother by long.

The moment passed and Maizestar lifted his head again. "Gorsekit, Cloudkit, Stainkit, Skykit. Step forward."

They did, all together. It was as if the strength of their grief made them one in that moment. Stainkit easily looked the most miserable out of all of them. Rainpaw wondered what it would be like to lose Bluedapple, or any of his sisters. The wave of grief and almost panic was so strong it almost took his breath away. Suddenly Rainpaw felt a newfound sympathy for the four soon-to-be apprentices below.

Together they stopped, waiting on Maizestar. The golden leader looked down upon them. "You honor all those you have lost by training to be strong warriors," he said to them. They all exchanged looks, except for Gorsekit. Rainpaw could see her clearly, head held high as she waited for the ceremony to begin.

Finally, Maizestar said the words that started the ceremony. "Skykit, from this moment on, you shall be known as Skypaw."

Briefly Rainpaw wondered what would happen if the newly named Skypaw ever became Clan leader. They'd have a Skystar leading WindClan. How would SkyClan feel?

He was distracted from his thoughts when Maizestar continued speaking. "Sparrowclaw, you have shown strength and determination, and you will train young Skypaw."

Sparrowclaw stepped forward, his eyes exceptionally gentle, and lead Skypaw to the side to watch the rest of the ceremony.

"Cloudkit, from this moment on, you shall be known as Cloudpaw. Sedgeclaw," the mottled brown she-cat stepped forward, eyes glowing with pride. "You have shown to be versatile, and kind. You will be mentor to Cloudpaw."

Once Cloudpaw and Sedgeclaw had stepped aside, Maizestar continued. "Gorsekit, from this day on, you shall be known as Gorsepaw." Gorsepaw stepped forward boldly, eyes practically glowing with delight. "Beetlewing, though you are young, you have shown the confidence and patience of a cat much more experienced. You have shown that you are the right cat to train Gorsepaw."

Gorsepaw and Beetlewing looked at each other and traded a smile as they stepped out of the way. Now only Stainkit was left.

"Stainkit, from this moment on, you shall be known as Stainpaw," Maizestar said slowly. Stainpaw stepped forward timidly, quite different from his excited littermates. His shoulders were hunched, as if he were ready to bolt at any given notice. Rainpaw looked around for who his mentor would be, and didn't find anybody stepping forward. He turned to Maizestar, like many of the Clan, looking to see what would happen next. "Stainpaw _I_ will be your mentor."

There was a collective gasp from the Clan and Stainpaw's eyes widened. "Stainpaw has shown he lacks confidence, and self-assurance. He needs a strong mentor. While there are many cats in the Clan who could easily do this, it is my wish that I do it. I have not shown the young in our Clan the attention they deserve lately. I would like to correct this oversight now."

The Clan muttered as Maizestar nodded warmly to his new apprentice. Before the cats could break up though, Jumpleaf bounded forward lithely. "Maizestar," she said calmly. "I would like to make an announcement."

She faced the Clan, looking preoccupied. "Every cat is to come for a checkup," she announced. "This is _mandatory_. After Rustpelt, I'm afraid that if we don't get a cap on this now, we won't be able to at all."

Maizestar was nodding sagely. "Yes, we shall all do these checkups. How would you like this done?"

"Warriors first, I think," she said. "I have already examined some of you. There are a couple of cats I have spoken to about going off duties briefly. This is just a precaution, but a day of rest will not hurt."

"Who has been taken off?" Smilecloud asked.

Jumpleaf hesitated. "Pale-eyes," she admitted. "Just for the day."

The warriors broke out into mutters again, noticeably darker. Rainpaw glanced over at Mousepaw to see her hunched over. Clearly this news bothered her greatly.

Maizestar was speaking again. "I will take Mousepaw training with me until Pale-eyes is back on her feet," he said. "I want every warrior to see Jumpleaf by sunset tomorrow. It is important that we get this under control as quickly as possible. Is that all, Jumpleaf?"

"If you feel even the littlest bit off, I want you to see me or Auburnpaw _immediately_ ," she said. Each syllable was unmistakably fierce. "I don't care if you think it's stupid, you come right away. It's the only way to stop the spreading. That is all."

The Clan broke apart instantly then. Everyone wanted to talk about the meeting. Maizestar taking an apprentice? Rainpaw knew that in order to become deputy he had to have trained an apprentice, but the idea seemed almost ridiculous. Clan leaders don't train apprentices. They have more important duties, like inter-Clan relations, organizing patrols, and overseeing the entire Clan. Warriors trained apprentices while leaders were diplomats.

Still, it was kind of interesting to watch as he walked over to the center of the camp. Cloudpaw and Skypaw were on his tail, looking excited, while his actual apprentice walked farther back looking more nervous than Rainpaw had ever seen him.

"Stainpaw, I will take you out today," Maizestar said. "Mousepaw can come with us on our tour. I will leave the rest of you to your mentors."

Mousepaw gave him a glance. "Great," she muttered. "Another tour of the territory."

"Have fun," Rainpaw said after her. Almost sullenly she followed Maizestar out of the camp and away.

Which left him with Pearlpaw. But when he turned to look at her, she was already backing away. "Sorry Rainpaw, but Crowswoop needed me in the tunnels today."

"That's okay," he answered, more cheerful than he usually sounded. "How's the project coming?"

Pearlpaw flicked her ears. "Nicely," she said, a hint of pride tingeing her mew. "I'll tell you about it later, okay? I gotta go."

"Alright, get going!" he laughed as she darted away.

"Uh, Rainpaw?" a voice asked, and unfamiliar sense of shyness settled in a voice usually ringing with confidence. He turned his head and saw Gorsepaw blinking up at him shyly. Her eyes were wide, and very green. He had never noticed before.

Momentarily stunned, it took him a moment to answer. "Yes."

"Can you show me where to get good moss for my nest?"

It was such an innocent question. Usually Gorsepaw was brash and a little mean. Rainpaw had come to expect such rudeness from her. Maybe now that she was an apprentice, she would be a little nicer.

"Of course," he said smiling. Gorsepaw smiled almost hesitantly at him in return.

They padded out of the camp together. Rainpaw felt light, almost cheerful. It was a strange feeling in comparison to his usual surliness. Gorsepaw's abrupt change from her usual demeanor had his heart lighter than it'd been. This could be a change for the better.

The moss that grew in WindClan territory grew on a patch of rocks in the moor. They did not jut out of the land, but rather rolled out of the ground in a smooth transition. Since there was a dip in the ground there, condenscation ran down to the rocks, allowing the moss the grow.

Gorsepaw's eyes widened as she looked at it. "Wow," she breathed. "There's so much of it."

"Yeah," Rainpaw eyed her from the side. "So we can take as much as we need."

The new apprentice didn't answer, just cause him a side-smile.

Once they had gathered as much moss as they would need, Rainpaw deciding to take this opportunity to fix his own nest, they were about to head back. Gorsepaw had gathered quite a lot. Too much to really need, but they could use the extra moss in another nest. Still, it was a lot, so Rainpaw politely offered, "Do you need help carrying back your moss?"

She froze, taking a deep breath. "Look, I'm just being nice to you because you're a Clanmate," she said shortly. "But we're not _friends_. You do know that, don't you?"

One of the moss-stones dropped in Rainpaw's stomach. "What?"

Gorsepaw continued as if she were commenting on the weather. "It's not like you're not nice, cause you are. It's just…I need the respect of my Clanmates, and no offence but you really don't bring that. So I can't be friends with you."

Rainpaw gaped at her. "That's stupid," he said at last. "You can't select which Clanmates you like. You're supposed to work with all of us."

"But I can choose which ones I'm friends with," she answered smugly. "And you don't make the cut, I'm afraid."

"What's the point?" he asked stoutly. "What kind of Clanmate are you if you don't even like the cats in the Clan?"

"A well liked one," she said, sounding cold and mean. Rainpaw couldn't believe that he had thought, even for a second, that she would have changed just by getting a new name. He felt like he was really seeing her for the first time. She was nothing but a spoiled jerk.

"Gotta go," she said. "Don't want to be seen walking into camp with you." Rainpaw's jaw dropped. "Thanks for the moss!"

She was already halfway up the slope by the time he recovered. "Well fine!" he shouted after her. "Have fun pretending to be a loyal Clanmate!"

Her only response was a wave of her tail.


	17. Chapter 15

Sorry it's posted so late! I've been overwhelmed with school, and my depression decided to make itself known to me again. But I've been working very hard to work on this and DYMD Vol1. I hope you enjoy!

CL

* * *

Wolfmask was right. It had snowed overnight. A fine layer covered the ground up past Rainpaw's ankles. It stuck to his fur from where it fell off the opening of the apprentice's den and froze the pads straight off his feet.

"There's no way we're going to the Moonstone tonight," Rainpaw grumbled to Pearlpaw, looking at the solid white camp.

"You're going to the Moonstone?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Probably not," he answered, then stopped. "Wait, didn't Crowswoop tell you?"

Pearlpaw shook her broad head. "No. He wasn't planning on taking me tonight that I know of."

He stared at her bemusedly. "What about Mousepaw?"

"She can't go, remember? Pale-eyes is sick."

Rainpaw just continued to stare at her. There was no way, no way at all that Wolfmask was planning on taking him alone. He was about to comment so when he heard the very cat calling his name, "Rainpaw!"

"Have fun on your trip in the snow," Pearlpaw said after him, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"We're probably not going," he called back as he waddled to where his mentor was waiting for him. The dark tabby was sitting by where the fresh-kill pile out to have been if it wasn't entirely covered in powdery white, glaring after Patchcloud as the warrior she-cat stomped away, her nose a little high. "Yes, Wolfmask?" he greeted a little grumpily. "Are we restocking the pile first?"

"What?" Wolfmask asked, turning his head sharply towards his apprentice. "No. We're going to the Moonstone."

"But it snowed!" Rainpaw exclaimed in shock. "You said we wouldn't go if it snowed!"

"No," Wolfmask corrected him. "I said we wouldn't go if it snowed _badly_. This is practically nothing. It could be gone by tomorrow sunset if it gets warm enough."

"So we're going?" he asked, perking up a little.

"Yes, we're going." Wolfmask's brow furrowed and he looked up again to where Patchcloud had disappeared back into the warrior's den. Rainpaw hesitated, not wanting to speak when his mentor looked so deep in thought.

"Are Pearlpaw and Mousepaw coming too?"

"No," Wolfmask answered, looking back again. "I thought we could go together as a means of bonding as mentor and apprentice."

Bonding? For some reason, that really pricked Rainpaw's mind. Unconciously he took a step back. Why would Wolfmask want to take him alone? Mentors and apprentices normally bonded during training. Rainpaw knew he'd gotten closer to Rustpelt from their brief sessions together, and even though he still wasn't talking to her, he'd really grown fond of working with Silverfrost. But his relationship with Wolfmask hadn't needed change when he'd taken over training Rainpaw. In fact, working with Wolfmask felt natural in all the right ways. Sure, the deputy could be a little surly from time to time, and he was by far the harshest mentor Rainpaw had had, but there was an element of honor and respect already present in the warrior that Rainpaw didn't question.

Wolfmask spoke, distracting him. "We'll have to leave right away in order to get there in time," he said looking at the sky. "What with the snow, and we'll have to cross the Thunderpath. I know you haven't done _that_ before…"

Rainpaw narrowed his eyes looking at his gray tabby mentor. Wolfmask was a great role model, he decided. He took an interest in Rainpaw's training, even before becoming his mentor. Rainpaw could still remember the time Wolfmask had given him advice after Rustpelt had been confined to his nest.

"…and we'll have to be there by moonrise if you're gonna speak with StarClan."

"Wait," Rainpaw asked when Wolfmask had finished. " _I_ will get to speak with StarClan?"

Wolfmask threw him a perplexed look. "That's what the Moonstone's for, Rainpaw. Don't tell me you didn't know that."

"No, I did," he responded, frustrated. "I just thought we were required to go there, not to use it."

"And what did you think we did when we got there? Say 'hello'?"

"Well I don't know!" Rainpaw snapped. "Isn't the whole point to learn how to travel long distances?"

Wolfmask looked amused now. "And the reason we can't eat before we go is…?"

"Part of the long-distance travel thing? It's not like you have access to easy meals when you're walking from sunrise to sunset."

His mentor blinked at him. "I'm impressed. You seem to have given this thought. But no, when you go to the Moonstone, you will be connecting with StarClan."

A thrill of excitement rumbled through him. Connecting with StarClan? He wondered what wisdoms they would share with him, if he would see his future or know ancient histories. He could ask them questions.

He paused as a new thought occurred to him. If he could ask questions with StarClan, there was a whole new range of things he could know. For instance, he could ask what his warrior name would be, or if he'd ever have kits.

He could ask who his father is. _StarClan_ would have to know!

"Well, let's go then," he said, doing his best to sound patient. Wolfmask, he could see, was fighting a smile.

…

They crossed the border at sunhigh. Rainpaw thought that they were moving rather slow, but Wolfmask insisted they were making good time and continued to move at a leisurely pace.

When they passed Marjorie's barn Rainpaw hesitated. Wolfmask paused, looking back at him questioningly.

"Do you think we should stop?" Rainpaw asked nervously. "I mean, we could hunt in there, and see Toadkit."

Wolfmask shook his head. "You can't eat if you're going to speak to StarClan, and as for Toadkit…well, he's not really our business anymore."

Rainpaw was shocked by this response. Toadkit had been one of their own. The Clan had certainly seemed concerned after he'd left. But the Clan had seemed quite…introverted, lately. There were almost no mingling's at Gatherings now. They were always on high alert, walls in the camp enforced then reinforced. The perimeter was _always_ watched, the entrance _always_ guarded. But to ignore Toadkit was another thing entirely. He had been a WindClan kit. It should be WindClan's concern what happened to him.

They continued down the slope, chasing the moon in it's descent towards the horizon. The hills that dotted the horizon were not monstrously huge, cutting across the path of the light and tinting the sky red a little early.

Not too long, a roaring began to reach Rainpaw. He frowned. This was the Thunderpath. He knew the sound from where it intersected his territory. But the tall jagged rocks (where they were headed, he realized with a jolt) were _beyond_ the dangerous strip.

Wolfmask lead him up confidently, but carefully, and they came to a halt not farther back like they would when patrolling the border, but right up at the edge.

"Alright, here's how this is going to go," Wolfmask instructed. "I'm going to wait until there's a break in the flow of monsters. When I give the signal, run as fast as you can towards that clump of grass." He indicated with his tail where a large patch of ferns grew out of the ground beyond the opposite edge. "Don't stop until you get there, okay?"

Rainpaw nodded, but as he crouched beside his mentor with one paw on the black stone-like substance before him, the weight of what he was about to do seemed to settle on him. This was no the same thing as crossing Clan borders. In fact, there really was no comparison to how dangerous this task was. Crossing the Thunderpath was suicide, every cat knew that.

Except ShadowClan had to cross anytime they went to a Gathering. And Rainpaw refused to believe that he couldn't do it if a ShadowClan cat could.

So when Wolfmask gave a loud shout and jumped forward, Rainpaw dug his hind legs in and blasted forward, propelling himself as fast as he could towards the other side. To his surprise, the surface beneath him was rough and gravely, grit and small stones digging into his pads and getting caught between his claws. It was hot, as though baked by the sun, and _smelled_. There was a roaring in the distance and the ground actually shook beneath his paws.

He dove for the clump of grass, making it a split second before Wolfmask, who made it only moments before a monster roared past. The flank of the creature was no more than a tail-length away from where Rainpaw stood, creating a fierce wind that nearly knocked him off his paws.

With nothing but a shared glance, the two WindClan toms kept walking.

The sun had just dipped the distant horizon when they finally made it to Highstones. Rainpaw could tell right away why it was named Mothermouth. It was shaped exactly like a face, jaws stretched wide to receive them.

Wolfmask glanced up at the sky. "It's time," he said imperiously. "Now listen, when we get inside, you will not be allowed to talk. When we get to the stone, touch your nose to it. StarClan will enchant you with sleep and come to you in your dreams."

 _Whoa_ , Rainpaw thought, but didn't dare speak it aloud. Instead he only nodded.

With Wolfmask in the lead they padded straight through the yawned opening, into the belly of the beast.


	18. Chapter 16

I finally get to update! For those of you not following my twitter (talaleisu2) then you are not aware, but first the school servers went down, then I got incredibly sick for 2 WEEKS, and then I couldn't update cause I couldn't continue writing because I've had too much makeup work to do from being sick for 2 weeks. But now we're on spring break, and I have time and internet again. So time for an update! Thank you all for your patience and enjoy this update of The Scarlet Omen!

CL

* * *

Rainpaw had not known darkness before this very moment. Not before he'd opened his eyes- when he barely had any memories anyway –not the night when the storm rolled in and blocked out everything except when the lightning struck, not the inside of a warm den, not even Marjorie's barn.

He had also never felt truly cold before. But these stones had never known the sun, did not understand or hold its warmth. Instead it sucked the warmth from first his paws, then up his legs. Soon, Rainpaw was shivering against the cold as the ancient stone seemingly stole the heat from his body to make up the seasons of lack. There was no seeing his breath in this eternal darkness, but he was certain that it was billowing before his face whenever he exhaled.

The tunnel seemed to be squeezing against him on all sides. Rainpaw could feel the walls brushing against his whiskers on both sides. When the path opened up into a cavern, it was almost a relief. It was also just as scary. How was he supposed to know where to go now?

And then the cavern lit up in a brilliant flash of light. Rainpaw squinted against the onslaught, wincing as the light blinded him. It took a couple of blinks to clear his vision and then he saw it: the Moonstone. Three tail-lengths high and about one tail-length wide. Rainpaw doubted the stone would have looked ordinary, even in regular lighting. In it's current state, it was mind-blowing.

The rock was glowing. _Glowing_. Yet there was no warmth from it. If anything it was even colder in the cavern than before, as if the stone light by taking heat from those around it.

This was probably when Rainpaw was supposed to touch his nose to the stone. But the light was so bright, he doubted even StarClan would be able to get him to sleep next to it. He glanced questioningly at Wolfmask. The deputy nodded encouragingly.

Taking a deep breath, Rainpaw padded forward. He squeezed his eyes shut, touched his nose to the stone, and waited and waited…

…

Rainpaw was floating between awake and asleep, sometimes seeing the glow of the Moonstone around him, other times seeing the vast night sky from camp. He couldn't move, not even a little. The light twinkled innocently around him. _Who's my father?_ he wanted to ask, but nothing came out.

The first dream came in a flash, abrupt and vivid. It was of the camp. The snow was thick and heavy. So thick. Too thick. It piled high over his head, blotting out the sun. Not a cat was in sight.

The dream morphed quickly into another, a glint of light against a drawn claw, blood in his eyes.

Once the dreams started rolling, they did not stop gathering momentum. Angry black eyes, a flash of fear, a powerful reek of some predator, the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life seared through him, a sharp cat-scent like thistle, a burning burning smell that set him coughing and he couldn't stop.

" _Noo!_ " he heard a wail, and distinctly recognized it as his own, though it felt wrong. He leaped forward as if to escape and found himself abruptly in another dream. This was wrong too, like it was muted. He could clearly see cats around him talking, but no sounds came. As well, there was no color.

"Bluedapple!" a voice said thickly. It sounded familiar and yet a stranger's voice.

He turned and saw her. "Mother?" he breathed. It definitely looked like her, but much younger. _Is this what Mousepaw will look like when she's a warrior?_

But Bluedapple didn't look like a warrior. She was skinnier, muscles not yet built and with no leftover kitten-fat. _This is before we were born!_ he realized.

"You don't understand how being a medicine cat works, _Wolfmask_ ," she spat. Rainpaw turned his head so fast he felt a click and pain shot down his back. There he was, facing almost away from Rainpaw. He circled around to get a better view.

Wolfmask looked _young_. Not old enough to be a warrior yet young. But Bluedapple had called him Wolfmask. He must have just been named recently. He also looked angry.

"You were supposed to go to the Moonstone ages ago," he fired at her angrily. "But you waited and now look at what happened! With Maizestar gone our Clan was decimated in the battle."

Bluedapple twitched her nose in that dangerous way. "There is no select time to go to StarClan, Wolfmask. Maizestar had to go, I took him. That's that."

"And look at what happened!" he snarled, indicating the camp. Rainpaw looked around and gasped in shock. The camp was decimated. Blood covered everything, a sizable hole had been torn in the camp wall, trailing heather and barbs everywhere. There were at least two cats lying very still in the wreckage. Clearly a vicious battle had happened, and recently. "You made a decision that affected us all. If you hadn't- "

"Enough!" Maizestar cut in suddenly. Rainpaw was downright shocked at how different this Maizestar looked from the one Rainpaw knew. He was much younger, obviously more well built. "We must concentrate on our wounded. Bluedapple, please get back to your work. And Wolfmask, if you must criticize, know that it was _my_ decision to go to the Moonstone last night, and not before." Wolfmask did not answer, but the silence was far from comfortable. "Stop criticizing our medicine cat and get to work repairing the walls with others!"

"Yes sir," Wolfmask growled, bowing his head in acquiescence. He turned away from his leader, smoldering eyes still lingering on Bluedapple as she made her rounds.

It hit Rainpaw in a snap. He awoke with a gasp, swiveling his head around to find his mentor in the dark, only visible by his pinprick eyes in the night sky. The stone had gone out. The dreams were finished.

Rainpaw was reeling from his last dream. He could barely keep his mind in the present enough to put one foot in front of the other. Was StarClan trying to tell him the answer to his ultimate questions? Were they trying to tell him that _Wolfmask_ was his father?

…

Wolfmask did not ask what Rainpaw saw, which was great because Rainpaw did not want to tell him. They padded mostly in silence, stopping first to hunt. This would have been a lot more difficult if the snow had not melted overnight. It had not occurred to Rainpaw how hungry he was until he smelled the vole. It was tiny and did not really satiate his hunger, but it was enough to hold him over for sure.

They stopped against to cross the Thunderpath. This time Wolfmask had Rainpaw signal when to go. To say it was nerve-wracking was an understatement. Rainpaw had crossed the stone river only once in his entire life, and that had been the night before. It ended up being pretty easy; there were no monsters.

It as sunhigh when they reached Marjorie's barn. The pretty she-cat was nowhere to be found, nor was Toadkit. They did not go in, but stopped to hunt there.

They crossed the border under a bloody sunset. Wolfmask spoke for the first time that entire trip, "You are not supposed to tell anybody about your dream, you know?"

"Okay," Rainpaw answered and felt himself beginning to deflate. He wasn't supposed to talk about his dream? Not even with Mousepaw or Pearlpaw?

Wolfmask seemed to guess at his thoughts. "Not with anybody, I mean. The things StarClan chose to share with you are for you, and you alone."

Rainpaw frowned as he looked up at his mentor. What StarClan had told him was that this striped deputy was his father. Right? How was he supposed to share this information with his sisters if he wasn't allowed to talk to them about it?


	19. Chapter 17

Wow. I can't believe I'm actually updating. For those of you wondering what happened...well I'm finally fished undergrad! I now officially have a degree in astrophysics :O So yeah I didn't have time, what with capstone, research, 2 labs and 5 classes (4 of them upper level physics classes) I wasn't able to update. Now I'm finally done! So while I navigate my way into the workforce for a gap year before the REAL work begins (PhD) enjoy some frequent updates again! Thank you all so much for your patience! I couldn't have gotten this far without you and honestly, without those of you who messaged me during the hiatus to encourage me to keep going even though it was hard, I wouldn't have had the mickey to return. Or finish school. So thank you! Enjoy the latest chapter update and I'll probably be back on Monday updates!

* * *

It was dark by the time they reached camp. Rainpaw was imagining the Moonstone ablaze back in the Mothermouth. They couldn't see the Highstones from here, but the memory of it was so fresh in his mind he could picture it perfectly. Rainpaw doubted he'd ever forget what he'd seen.

Wolfmask stopped just inside the camp where Rainpaw bumped into him. He cursed to himself. What was it with him and running into those in front of him?

Then he stopped. Usually when cats froze like that, it was shock. What would he see when he looked around his bulky mentor?

Since there was no avoiding it, Rainpaw looked.

The Clan was strewn in haphazard clusters, though no one was talking. Maizestar was nowhere to be seen, neither was Jumpleaf or Auburnpaw, Rainpaw realized. But everyone else was. The elders were sitting outside their den, Thorntooth staring at the center of the camp in horror. Silverfrost was full-on sobbing, uncharacteristic of the proud deputy she once was. She was not the only one. Orchidfur, Houndwhisker, even Runningstorm looked distraught.

Rainpaw stepped aside from his mentor and saw what they were all looking at. Larchwing was lying serenely in the middle of the camp. She did not look pregnant. She was also not breathing. Leapwind was by her side, as was Bluedapple and Pale-eyes.

Wolfmask padded over to join them. Rainpaw watched out of the corner of his eye as he sat down beside Bluedapple. The deputy leaned down and whispered in her ear, to which Bluedapple began quietly explaining a response. Too quiet for Rainpaw to hear from this distance.

A tail brushed his flank, snatching him from his observation and drawing him back to the present. He turned to see who it was and found himself face to face with his sisters.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"Larchwing gave birth last night," Mousepaw explained. Rainpaw had never heard her sound so dull before.

"It was awful," Pearlpaw put in, her lower lip trembling. "We could hear her screaming all night."

"Auburnpaw had to do it by herself," Mousepaw said. "Jumpleaf was out because one of the caves collapsed on Sparrowclaw. They needed her there to help bind his leg before they could bring him back to camp."

Rainpaw didn't understand. "Larchwing's dead though. What happened?"

"She was too sick," Mousepaw said. "Her body couldn't handle the stress. Bluedapple tried to help but…"

A chill like not unlike the cold of the Moonstone ran through Rainpaw at her words. "The Clan wouldn't let her, would they?"

Pearlpaw's eyes went wide. She sniffed, "Oh no, the Clan begged her to help!"

 _That_ shocked Rainpaw. The Clan had _begged_ Bluedapple to help? "So what happened?"

"We told you!" Mousepaw snapped. "Larchwing's body couldn't take the stress of birth! It killed her."

"And her kits?" Rainpaw asked wildly.

"Two of them survived," Pearlpaw offered.

"Two of them? There were more?"

"One of the kits was stillborn," Mousepaw informed him. "He's over there with her now."

"Poor kit," Pearlpaw whimpered. "He will not even have a name."

Mousepaw calmly laid her tail on Pearlpaw's shoulder. "StarClan will know who he is," she reassured her, her voice cool, almost like when Silverfrost used to comfort him when he struggled in training. "And Larchwing will be there with him on their journey."

Rainpaw looked over at the mound in the center of the clearing. Wolfmask had not joined the crowd around Larchwing's body, but must have decided to give the space to those who were closer to the queen. Rainpaw knew that there was really only one other, and that was Maizestar. Larchwing was his littermate. Her mate and the kits' father had died in the initial wave of the sickness, along with so many others.

From this distance, he could not see the tiny body of the dead kit.

"What about the remaining kits?" Rainpaw asked, turning back to his sisters. "Where's Maizestar?"

Mousepaw answered, "The other two kits are with Pushleaf. Maizestar, along with Jumpleaf and Auburnpaw, are with them now."

Anxiety pierced Rainpaw like a clawstrike. "Why? Is something wrong with them? What about Saborkit?"

"Saborkit's fine," Mousepaw soothed. "It's just…Pushleaf is pretty weak right now. Not to mention she's sick too. Jumpleaf and Auburnpaw are just making sure she's as strong as she can be so she can take care of the additional kits. Maizestar is there because he feels responsible for the kits."

Rainpaw looked around again, this time settling his gaze on the nursery. His kit memories of it showed it quite big, but now that he'd been around, he knew that it was actually one of the smallest dens. "Must be crowded," he thought aloud. "I mean with Maizestar and both medicine cats in there."

"Oh, Hollypool and the kits are in the elder's den for tonight," Mousepaw said. "Gougekit and Heatherkit were all for Hollypool sleeping in the warriors den while they slept in the apprentices' den, but Hollypool didn't want to leave her kits."

Which was pretty understandable, all things considered.

…

Rainpaw wasn't sure how he didn't sleep that night. It took all his energy to keep his eyes from closing without permission. How he wished for a long sleep…but the Clan was keeping vigil for Larchwing and her lost kit.

Maizestar appeared just before sunrise to bow his head next to his sister's body. Rainpaw couldn't hear what he said, if he said anything at all. The mere sight of his bowed head against his sister's body was enough to bring the Clan closer. The sun rose around them, silhouetting him posed against her stillness.

The elder's came for them at dawn. Cats lined up, forming a solid witness to her procession down the aisle created between the crowd of cats. In the light of the rising sun, Rainpaw could see the tiny it clamped in Galecoal's jaws. A small brown tabby, so tiny.

Once they were gone, the Clan consolidated together, brushing pelts and sharing grief. The night of mourning was over. Now the Clan was ready for action.

Maizestar did not jump onto the Tallrock, but addressed the Clan from where Larchwing had lain all night.

"The other kits are going to be okay," he answered before anyone could ask. "Pushleaf has them with her. She is resting, but we are certain that she can handle this."

"Pushleaf is a strong warrior," Owlflight murmured in agreement.

Maizestar nodded. "They've been named Shallowkit and Grasskit. No visitors for now, please. Allow them to rest."

"What now, Maizestar?" Sedgeclaw asked. Rainpaw realized that everyone in the Clan was looking to their leader for support and instruction. The Maizestar who faced them now was not the same Maizestar who had sent Toadkit away not so long ago.

"For now, we will continue as normal. Jumpleaf is- well, I'll let her tell you."

The gray medicine cat stepped forward into the light, Auburnpaw by her side. He could tell immediately that the apprentice medicine cat was shaken by last night's events.

"I only saw about half the warriors yesterday," Jumpleaf said right off the bat. "If you have not been seen by me, you must come see me first before you do _anything else_."

"But we can't!" Runningstorm argued. "Who's going to hunt for the Clan?"

"Those who have been seen can hunt for the Clan," she responded just as fiercely. Jumpleaf's eyes were ablaze, and it took Rainpaw a moment to realize who she reminded him of. In that instant, radiating confidence, so self-assured, eyes smoldering in that way, Jumpleaf was a dead-ringer for the Bluedapple Rainpaw had seen in his dream at the Moonstone. "Right now our concern is stopping this illness in its tracks. This is our first priority."

Runningstorm was not going down easily. "What if SkyClan attacks us? How are we supposed to stop them if we're all bed-ridden?"

"Well you can't stop them if you're dead," Jumpleaf shot back, and it was such a blow that even Rainpaw felt the sting. Everyone fell truly quiet at those words. Jumpleaf continued as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "From now on, anybody who feels even the slightest bit off is restricted to their nests."

" _What_?" Pale-eyes demanded, jumping to her feet. Rainpaw glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. She did look tired, and even from this distance he could see her nose was plastered with dried snot. Jumpleaf probably noticed this too, and looked at her mercilessly. "Jumpleaf I _can't_. I have an apprentice to train!"

"I'll do it," Nightspots said, getting to her feet as well. "I'll train Mousepaw while you heal. Pale-eyes, you need time to heal. The Clan needs you to be at your strongest." Pale-eyes looked mutinous, but Rainpaw could see Nightspots was getting to her. "Too many lives were already lost. Don't add to it."

Pale-eyes nodded, sitting down again and looking thoroughly dejected. Rainpaw felt for her. This sickness was pulling the Clan apart.

"Is that everything?" Maizestar asked her. Rainpaw felt a flash of familiarity. Hadn't they only just had this meeting about the sickness? How many more were they going to have before they got a hold on the situation?

"No," Jumpleaf said. "I've decided that it's time to give Auburnpaw her full name as a medicine cat. I thought I should tell you all."

Now it was Auburnpaw's turn to jump to her feet, eyes wide. "What?" she asked, not nearly as vehement as those previous to her had been. "Jumpleaf…I don't know what to say…why?"

"I know you're ready," Jumpleaf answered sagely. "Your quick thinking saved two kits' lives last night. It's time."

There was a moment of pause before the Clan moved in, gathering around Auburnpaw and congratulating her. The usual chant began, altered because Auburnpaw had not yet received her new name. "Auburnpaw! Auburnpaw! Auburnpaw!"

As the Clan began to break up, Rainpaw turned to his sisters. "Let's go get our assignments."

"None for you today," Wolfmask's voice washed over him from behind. "You've had a long night. Get some rest."

The deputy brushed past on his way towards the Tallrock, where he'd be assigning patrols. Rainpaw watched him go, wondering if Wolfmask knew the truth.

Pearlpaw flicked his flank with her tail. "Lucky," she pouted. "Crowswoop wants me underground all day. How am I supposed to stay awake down there?" She walked away to join her mentor before Rainpaw could tell her that it would be quite easy to stay awake underground knowing a cave had collapsed only yesterday.

"Well I better go greet my new mentor," Mousepaw muttered sourly. Rainpaw briefly wondered what she had against Nightspots, but didn't ask.

As he turned to head into the apprentices' den he bumped into somebody. _Again_?

"Watch it!" snapped a familiar voice. Rainpaw blinked heavily and found himself face-to-face with Gorsepaw.

He sighed deeply, inhaling her sharp scent. "Excuse me," he breathed, stepping to the side and stalking past her into the apprentices' den for some much needed rest.


	20. Chapter 18

Thank you all for reading my story and leaving such wonderful comments! Enjoy this next segment of The Scarlet Omen(:

* * *

Rainpaw finally got in to the medicine den the day after they returned from going to the Moonstone. While Jumpleaf was out collecting catnip to try on the sick cats, the newly named Auburnmist gave him a clean bill of health, and Rainpaw returned to full duties in short time.

After Larchwing's death the Clan took on a somber attitude. Prey was scarce due to snow, and most cats were operating on full schedules and empty bellies.

Still, life went on. Grasskit and Shallowkit were the most pampered kits the Clan had ever seen. The good part of this was that Pushleaf was always well fed, which meant she was the first cat with the illness to officially recover. One sunny day, just after sunhigh, she brought Saborkit outside to the meet the Clan for the first time. Rainpaw couldn't help but notice something was odd about him too, more obvious that what had been different about Toadkit but similar. One of his eyes was dark brown, almost black. The other was milky white, transparent. He flinched to think of what this could mean for the kit.

Flamethistle and Brightwillow passed their final assessments and were given their warrior names. Mousepaw liked to point out how that meant that they were next in line to receive their warrior names, but Rainpaw thought that line of thinking was silly. He'd assisted in Flamethistle's final assessment and was not entirely sure he- at least –was quite ready for it. And if they were thinking like that, the next cats after Rainpaw and his littermates to receive new names was Gorsepaw and her littermates, and they were nowhere near ready.

Plus there was Tigerpaw, who had failed his final assessment and subsequently not received a new name. He prowled around the camp like a dark cloud, snapping at anyone who so much as looked at him funny.

Rainpaw padded into camp one day after a patrol of the ShadowClan border. They had run into a ShadowClan patrol with Lichentooth on it, who had also just received her warrior name. Rainpaw thought she was a little smug. Granted it had not been an entirely pleasant conversation when Rainpaw had caught her rabbit just after it had crossed the border onto WindClan land. Watching a WindClan apprentice capture what they considered ShadowClan prey right under their noses had frustrated them beyond belief. It had been incredibly satisfying.

He deposited the prey onto the fresh-kill pile now, feeling a little smug himself when Hawkfall whistled in appreciation. "That's a fine rabbit."

"You should have seen this catch!" Smilecloud gushed. "He caught it just as it crossed the ShadowClan border. A patrol was there. You should have seen the looks on their faces!"

"I do hope you haven't been stealing ShadowClan prey," Silverfrost said warningly.

"It crossed the border first," Rainpaw assured her. "From their land onto ours."

"Yeah," Smilecloud added. "It was a WindClan rabbit when he caught it."

Rainpaw saw her smile in satisfaction. "Good."

He was just about to offer it to her as good prey when a tiny squeak interrupted him, "What's that?" He turned his head to see Shallowkit staring at him, round-eyed as he pawed the prey. Her gray kitten-fur stuck up in spikes.

"It's a rabbit," Smilecloud answered before he could.

Her golden eyes filled with wonder as she took in the sight of the prey, bigger than she was. "It's so huge!" she breathed in awe. "Did you catch it all by yourself."

Smilecloud didn't answer for him this time. A flash of embarrassment mixed with pride enveloped him at the sheer amazement in her gaze. He coughed, "I did."

"Rainpaw's the fastest runner in the Clan," Silverfrost added with obvious pride. That only further Rainpaw's embarrassment.

"Wow!" Shallowkit murmured, eyeing Rainpaw with something close to reverence. It made his fur prickle nervously to see her so worked up.

He opened his mouth to answer her in some way but froze as an eerie wailing arose in the camp. Rainpaw's every instinct jumped into action. Without thinking about it, he lurched forward, hackles raised and swept Shallowkit off to the side of the camp wall with a wave of his tail. She squeaked in protest, especially when Smilecloud scooped her up by her scruff, but Rainpaw didn't care. He needed to protect his Clanmates. It was what he'd been training for his whole life.

Silverfrost was the first to identify the source of the sound. "Pushleaf!" she called when the gray queen stumbled into daylight. "What's going on?"

"Saborkit!" Pushleaf answered. "He's gone!"

A jolt that even a strike of lightning could not bring coursed through Rainpaw. Saborkit, little Saborkit with his milky white eye and loud laugh was gone from camp. It was cold, snow was on the ground, and it was already past sunhigh. This did not bode well for the little kit.

Silverfrost was in her element. "Where did you last see him?"

"He was in the nursery napping with Grasskit," Pushleaf responded, voice shaking. "I came out to check on Shallowkit and go to the Dirtplace. When I came back, he was gone!"

"Is Grasskit still there?" Silverfrost asked.

Pushleaf nodded. "Yes. He was still sleeping."

Silverfrost offered a gentle smile at that. "Why don't take Shallowkit back to the nursery to be with her brother. Wait there with them."

"I have to help search for Saborkit!" Pushleaf cried. "He could be injured or stolen!"

But Silverfrost wasn't budging. "You need to be with Shallowkit and Grasskit." She lowered her voice then, stepping toward the gray queen as if to share a secret. "They need you, Pushleaf. They don't have anyone else."

Pushleaf hesitated, obviously torn. "I will have the entire Clan searching," Silverfrost reassured her. "Not one cat will be spared from looking."

After a moment, the gray queen nodded. "Shallowkit," she called. "Come along back to the nursery with me."

"What about Saborkit?" Shallowkit squeaked. Rainpaw looked at her and was struck by how tiny she really was then.

"The others will be looking for him," Pushleaf answered. "We have to go back to the nursery and wait."

Shallowkit obviously did not want to go, but after some coaxing from Smilecloud, followed her foster mother back towards the nursery.

Once they were gone, Silverfrost sprung into action. "Hawkfall, gather the warriors from the dens, search the camp. Every place in camp. Spread out. Smilecloud, take a patrol along the outside of the camp. Search for anything, scent, pawprints, anything that would indicate Saborkit had left."

"What should I do?" Rainpaw asked, stepping forward.

"Join Smilecloud's patrol," Silverfrost ordered. "Skypaw, find Maizestar and bring him back at once. He was assisting the tunnelers near the river today. Cloudpaw, find Wolfmask and alert him of the situation. He was patrolling near the gorge."

Rainpaw watched them race away, heart pounding in time with their footfalls.

"Rainpaw," Smilecloud's voice gently shook him out of his reverie. He turned to see her standing with Houndwhisker and Orchidfur. With a determined nod, Rainpaw followed them out.

They sniffed along every inch of the wall, spreading out to cover more ground. Rainpaw took his time, sniffing each clump of grass carefully. No sign of Saborkit, not even a faint scent. Disappointment curled Rainpaw's claws. Whatever had happened to the kit was subtle.

What if Pushleaf was right and the little kit was stolen? That would certainly be a daring move on any Clan's part. Sure, sometimes they breached borders or caught prey as it came on and off various territories, but to walk into the heart of another Clan's land and steal a kit right from their camp? That was something else entirely. Something more sinister, by far. It made his fur prickle just thinking about it.

Halfway along the front end of the wall he smelled it. The faintest trace, but Saborkit's scent just the same. "I found it!" he called, digging at the edge of the fence a little. A cloud of strong kit-scent wafted up to him and his claws snagged on a thick tuft of fur.

"What did you find?" an unexpected voice asked in his ear, making him jump back. Gorsepaw stood beside him, green eyes wide with mock innocence. Rainpaw just barely had time to shoot her a glare when Smilecloud came over.

"Good job Rainpaw!" she praised, though her voice was strained. She eyed the fur dubiously, as if looking for some clue as to the kit's current whereabouts in one tuft of fur. "He must have burrowed through the camp wall," she muttered, more to herself than to him.

"There's a trail here!" Gorsepaw called, now a little ways back from the wall with her nose to the ground.

Smilecloud looked even more pleased at this news. "Good! Houndwhisker, Orchidfur and I will follow it. Rainpaw, you and Gorsepaw go report to Silverfrost."

"Maizestar is back," Gorsepaw responded. Her voice was light, almost airy in nature. "Should we report to him instead?"

"Yes," Smilecloud answered. Without so much as a goodbye, she and the others took off down the path, following the faint trail left behind by the little kit.

Rainpaw glared at Gorsepaw as the warriors' footsteps faded away. He could see her wilt in disappointment. "I really wanted to go on the trail," she told him unnecessarily. Wasn't it obvious enough?

"Let's just go tell Maizestar," was his grumbled response.

They padded together, side-by-side around the camp wall and towards the entrance. Tension filled the air around them, but oddly he could not sense it in her. All he could feel from her was the displeasure of not getting to go on the hunt for the lost kit.

Gorsepaw yelled as soon as they entered the camp. "Maizestar!" she called, bounding forward and leaving Rainpaw in the dust. He gritted his teeth and swallowed his growl, padding after her.

The Clan was mostly gathered by now, everyone seemingly involved in the search for Saborkit. They all turned to look as Gorsepaw raced forward. Maizestar met her in the middle of the camp. "What have you found?" he asked, voice terse.

"A tuft of fur," she reported, her voice glowing with pride. "And a scent trail. Smilecloud's patrol is following it now." Rainpaw noticed that she conveniently left out how _he'd_ found the tuft of fur. Not that it mattered who found it. How could she possibly be so happy about a kit being lost?

"Very good," Maizestar praised her, and Rainpaw felt a prickle of annoyance. "I'll let Pushleaf know now."

After he'd padded away, the Clan closed in, whispering amongst themselves. Rainpaw looked around for Mousepaw or Pearlpaw. Surely, if Maizestar was back from the tunnels, his sisters were also back.

He couldn't find his sisters among the crowd, but he did notice Gorsepaw edging toward the camp entrance. "Where are you going?" he hissed at her, then instantly regretted it. Why should he care?

"I'm going to follow that trail!" Gorsepaw hissed back.

Rainpaw had to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes. "That's stupid. Smilecloud didn't say to join her after reporting to Maizestar."

"I wasn't asking for your opinion!" she snapped at him. "But I'm going to find Saborkit!"

"Oh I get it," he growled. "You want to follow the trail and get the glory."

Her fur rippled along her spine. "I found the trail. Why shouldn't I follow it?"

"Because you were assigned to report to Maizestar, not join the patrol!"

Gorsepaw jutted out her chin. "And I did report to Maizestar. No one told me I _can't_ follow the trail. Except for you and I don't follow orders from _you_."

Rainpaw had never felt more frustrated in his entire life. "Well then I'm coming with you."

 _That_ surprised her. "What?" she asked, sounding shocked. "Why are you coming with me?"

"Because you're my Clanmate," he answered simply, and then couldn't help adding, "And since you're showing a clear affinity for making stupid choices, I think you need someone there to assist you when you get yourself into trouble."

Gorsepaw frowned at him, but surprisingly didn't argue.

The two of them padded out of the entrance and around to where Rainpaw had found the tuft of fur. Even breathing as deeply as he could, mouth wide open, he could only detect the faintest taste of the trail. It was mostly covered by the fresh scent of the patrol. Gorsepaw, however, trotted off in the direction that Smilecloud had taken with her face again pressed into the ground.

Rainpaw was surprised at the direction the path was taking them. Past the outlook rock and down a steep slope, towards the Thunderpath. His fur prickled nervously, imagining Saborkit at the river-like stone, where the monsters would crush him under their massive paws without remorse. He began to head that way automatically, his heart pounding. He had to get there before disaster. There was still a fresh scent laid by the patrol, heading undoubtedly towards danger for the tiny kit.

Abruptly Gorsepaw broke away from the trail, heading toward Fourtrees. Her face was set, her nose still pressed to the ground. "Where are you going?" he asked her impatiently, still facing in the direction of the Thunderpath.

"The trail goes this way," she answered simply. Rainpaw frowned, opening his jaws and taking in as much as he could. Everything was clouded together, the thunderpath, the trail from the patrol, even the peaty ground beneath his paws. He could not smell kitten-scent. Gorsepaw seemed to read his mind. "I can smell it. I promise, it goes this way."

Rainpaw hesitated. The instinct to go to the Thunderpath and save the kit was quite strong. But Smilecloud's patrol was already there, and they could save him probably better than Rainpaw could if he was there. Gorsepaw seemed certain the trail was leading back down the glade. He had a feeling that she would go that way no matter what he said.

"Okay," he murmured nervously, taking a single step forward. Then another.

They took off down the path, Gorsepaw leading the way. The slope became steadily rockier, angling downward at a scary angle. This was not a path that any of the WindClan cats normally took. Rainpaw had trouble believing that Saborkit would have chosen it. Then again, the little kit had never been out of camp before. He was probably at least a smidge confused.

A small noise in the wind had Rainpaw stopping in his tracks. Gorsepaw stopped too, looking back at him. "What are you doing?" she asked, but Rainpaw motioned her to be quiet with his tail.

Then he heard it again. A small kitten-whimper. "You're right Gorsepaw! He's here!"

Without waiting for her reply, he raced forward, skidding down the rest of the way down the slope towards where the trees jutted out from around Fourtrees. Here, the ShadowClan border was close, right inward the edge of the trees. And there, pressed against the trunk of one of the larger trees, was Saborkit. His fur was ragged, his eyes closed as he wailed. Rainpaw could feel the panic like a spike emanating from the kit.

"Hey!" he called, "Saborkit!"

The small kit turned his head, eyes popping as he took in his unlikely rescuers. "Down here!" he cried in response. Rainpaw dug his paws in harder, pressing onward until he skidded to a stop in front of the found kit.

"I'm so glad you found me!" Saborkit said, looking up at Rainpaw with his one eye.

"I'm glad I found you too," Rainpaw answered, looking him up and down.

Gorsepaw caught up just then, glaring down at the kit. There was no real anger in her eyes though. "You're in big trouble young kit! Half the Clan is out here looking for you."

"I know," Saborkit said, bowing his head and scuffing one of his paws. "I just…I wanted to prove that I could do everything a warrior can."

"But you're not a warrior," Gorsepaw chided gently. Rainpaw was surprised by how soothing her voice was. "Not yet. And if you sneak out of camp, Maizestar will never make you an apprentice."

Saborkit didn't appear to be listening. He stared over Gorsepaw's shoulder with wide eyes, jaw dropping seemingly without his realizing it. The fear and exhaustion in his eyes were replaced with sheer terror. Rainpaw's brow furrowed, and he exchanged a glance with Gorsepaw before turning around.

A thick animal scent choked his lungs, familiar to him though he couldn't have smelled it before. Then he saw what had Saborkit so frightened.

The creature was about twice the size of the average warrior, maybe bigger. It was russet orange the whole way along its flank with darker patches around. Its yellow teeth, protruding from its muzzle a mere tail-length away from Rainpaw's face, were sharper than any cat's teeth Rainpaw had seen. Based on the murderous look in the creature's eyes, it was not friendly, and there could only be one thing it wanted.

First it looked at Rainpaw, then over to Gorsepaw, before finally settling its gaze on the tiny kit between them. From beside him, Rainpaw felt rather than heard Saborkit whimper.

In that moment Rainpaw's purpose was clearer than it had ever been. His mind made up in the course of one moment to the next, his single intent solidified in an instant. Only one thought filled him: he _had_ to protect his Clanmates. It was a simple fact. Nothing else mattered.

His motion was fluid, shoving Saborkit straight into Gorsepaw. "Take the kit and run," he grunted to her.

He stepped forward in two easy steps, crouching before the creature. Gorsepaw cried in shock from behind, "What are you doing?"

" _Run!"_ he snarled over his shoulder at her. In the same syllable he jumped, slashing his claws across the creature's muzzle. He did nick its nose, sending blood splattering around him. But when he got the neck, the fur was too thick for his claws to penetrate.

"Mouse-dung!" he spat and began to back away. The creature was clearly torn, whipping its head back and forth between him and Gorsepaw, who _still hadn't moved_. "Come here you big brute!" he challenged, swiping his claws again.

Deciding that Rainpaw was the bigger threat, the creature barreled towards him. It was quick. Rainpaw was quicker. It gnashed its teeth right where his tail had been not a moment before.

The creature was quicker than Rainpaw had anticipated. "Go go!" he told himself. The creature's jaws snapped closed again, ripping at the fur on the end of his tail. "Oh StarClan help me!" And he dug his paws into the ground and pushed off harder.

Rainpaw was fast. Probably the fastest cat in all of WindClan. But he'd never run like _this_ before. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. He blasted across the moor towards the rocky outcrops. With strength he didn't know he had, Rainpaw pressed his hind paws into the ground and took a flying leap, landing haphazardly on to the top of the first rock.

"Oof!" he wheezed as his jaw cracked into the rock. There was no pain though. He wasn't sure he could feel anything other than pure energy at that moment.

Snarling teeth digging into his tail brought him sharply back to reality. "Agh!" he screamed wordlessly, ripping his tail from the creature's teeth and scrabbling to his paws.

Once his feet were under him again, they weren't. He felt like he was flying as he pounded forward, baring left away from the camp and toward the ravine. He wasn't sure what he would do once he got there, but if it was away from camp, it had to be the right direction.

He hadn't gotten very far when he heard a voice that almost made him stop in his tracks. Almost, but not quite. Nothing could really stop him at a time like this. But it did slow him down, which was not a good thing when you had a massive angry creature on your tail.

Still, Rainpaw was trained to stop when he heard his Clan leader calling his name.

"Rainpaw!"

The world was suddenly turning over and over. His vision was filled with sky, ground, grass, sky again, dust. Finally he squeezed his eyes shut, hearing what sounded distantly like screaming. Orange fur was suddenly pressed against his eyes, which he had not been aware of opening. It wasn't until his back slammed into the ground that he realized it was _his_ voice he was hearing scream, choked off as the air was forced out of his lungs by the impact with the hard ground beneath him.

And then, as quickly as it had all happened, the creature was gone. Rainpaw gasped for air, coughing when the thick animal scent clogged his airway. He sat up, leaning over as if he were going to puke.

"Rainpaw!" a new voice called in his ear. He looked up, taking in as deep breaths as he could. His blue eyes met amber. It was Sedgeclaw, her face next to his. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," he managed to choke out. "What happened?"

"Maizestar saved you from the fox," she answered. Rainpaw detected a note of something like worry in her voice. "He's chasing it off the territory with Echospring and Beetlewing."

"Great," he said, finally feeling as if he could breathe again. "What about Saborkit?"

Sedgeclaw shook her head. "We haven't seen him. I hope the fox didn't get him."

"It didn't," he answered. "I found him. Lead the fox away. I left him with Gorsepaw."

Her eyes widened. "Where?"

Rainpaw pointed with his tail. "Down there, by the ShadowClan border."

The two of them began to walk. Rainpaw moved toward the direction from which he'd come, but Sedgeclaw shook her head. "We have to get you back to camp. I'll send a warrior after them when we get there."

Rainpaw was secretly relieved. His head hurt, and he still felt as though there was something in his throat. He had not realized just how hard he'd pushed himself until they were walking. His pads ached in a way he was not familiar with, his legs seizing up at every movement.

The going was longer than it usually would have taken them. When they finally made it through the barrier into the camp, Rainpaw was ready to collapse. He leaned heavily on Sedgeclaw as they made their way to Jumpleaf's den.

"Rainpaw!" he heard his mother call. Bluedapple was suddenly there, pressing against him. "What happened?"

"Fox," Sedgeclaw answered before Rainpaw could. "Maizestar took a patrol to chase it away."

Bluedapple and Sedgeclaw exchanged a significant look, one that normally Rainpaw would have been interested to know what more was going on there. But in that moment, all he could think about was laying down.

"What about Saborkit?" he asked. "We need to send a patrol down to get him."

Bluedapple looked as though she were about to ask, but then stopped. Rainpaw followed her gaze to the camp entrance, where Smilecloud was coming into camp then. Intense relief filled him when he realized Gorsepaw and Saborkit were with them. So was Maizestar and his patrol.

Sedgeclaw abandoned Rainpaw immediately, trotting over to where Maizestar was. He paused when she reached him, looking at her. Rainpaw sighed, turning to limp into the medicine den, then stopped when Maizestar leaped onto the Tallrock and gave a caterwaul.

"Stay here," Bluedapple murmured to him. She disappeared into the medicine den swiftly, returning with Jumpleaf by her side. The medicine cat had what appeared to be a bundle of herbs, Rainpaw noted with relief.

"Saborkit has been found," Maizestar began once the Clan was gathered around. "Gorsepaw and Rainpaw followed his trail. They found him near the ShadowClan border by Fourtrees."

"Saborkit!" Pushleaf cried in relief, pressing forward to wrap herself around him. She shoved him away abruptly, looking at him with anger. "What in the name of StarClan possessed you to run away like that?"

Saborkit looked around the camp, eyes wide with something like fear. "I wanted to prove that I'm capable of being a warrior," he said, small voice shaking ever so slightly. "To prove that I'm not like Toadkit."

There was a collective gasp around the Clan. Unease spread like fire, touching every cat. Rainpaw glanced towards the nursery, where Hollypool looked downright shocked.

Pushleaf recovered first. "You're _not_ like Toadkit," she said, but she did not sound as sure. Rainpaw noticed her glance up at Maizestar, as if her confirmation.

The Clan leader bowed his head. Rainpaw was stunned by how frail his Clan leader looked in that moment. "I made a mistake sending Toadkit away," Maizestar said at last, lifting his head. "He deserved our protection as much as any other Clan cat. I will not make that mistake again. You will train as a warrior, Saborkit, despite your blindness in your eye. The Clan needs you."

The small kit lifted his head proudly, looking both stricken and very pleased. "That does not mean you will not be punished," Maizestar continued on. Saborkit wilted at that. "Every cat in the Clan who breaks the Warrior Code is. By leaving the camp without permission before your apprenticeship, you have broken the Code, Saborkit. That is why I am ordering you to a moon on bedding duty in the elders' den."

Relief bloomed in Rainpaw's chest. If Saborkit was doing the elder's bedding, that mean Rainpaw didn't have to. "It is important that those who are young and inexperienced learn to take care of those who have faithfully served their Clan. As a future apprentice, you will do this duty often during your training. Learn, now, from their stories, listen to their experiences. You will do well."

Maizestar paused, looking around the Clan before his gaze settled on where Rainpaw was sitting, Jumpleaf sniffing his shoulder with interest. "I think it is important that you all know what happened. Rainpaw, seeing his Clanmates in danger, took the initiative to fight a fox on his own."

There were gasps around the Clan. Rainpaw's ears burned as his Clanmates turned to stare at him with round eyes. Maizestar continued, "It was a foolhardy plan to take on a fox without backup, but I think we should be proud of our apprentice. Rainpaw, your actions in saving your Clanmates were honorable. You will make a fine warrior once you have done your final assessments."

"Rainpaw! Rainpaw! Rainpaw!" his Clanmates called. Rainpaw didn't know what to say, so he only dipped his head in response.

The Clan began to break apart then. Pushleaf carted Saborkit off to the nursery. The warriors began to file into their den, some of them glancing towards Rainpaw with interest. Bluedapple licked his ear and murmured in his ear, "I'm proud of you." before going off to join them.

"Jumpleaf," Auburnmist called, padding forward. "I have the herbs mixed together. Should I deliver it to the sick cats?"

The medicine cat stepped back, looking Rainpaw up and down one last time. "No, I'll come. I'm through here. Now don't you go straining yourself," Jumpleaf ordered him. "Get plenty of rest tonight, and stretch out those legs first thing tomorrow morning, understand?"

Rainpaw nodded to show her he understood. He turned to pad towards the apprentices' den, but froze. He had expected Mousepaw or Pearlpaw to come over. Maybe even Brightwillow or Flamethistle. He was not expecting, however, to find himself face-to-face with Gorsepaw.

Irritation flowed through him. "What do you want now?" he growled before he could stop himself. Gorsepaw's jaw opened, and closed several times before she finally seemed to find the courage to speak.

"I was wrong," she said at last. "You…I was mean to you. And you saved my life."

"You're my Clanmate," he said simply. He wasn't even sure why he was arguing this. Shock, maybe? "And Saborkit was there. What was I supposed to do?"

She shrugged. "Still. When you said you wanted to come with me to protect me, I thought you really wanted to come because you wanted to be the one to find Saborkit. But you actually protected me. And Saborkit. Even after everything I said."

Rainpaw still wasn't getting it. "So?"

Gorsepaw took a deep breath. Her green eyes flitted up to look at him, so open and raw. For a moment he felt like he was running from the fox all over again, exhilarated and breathless. "So maybe, if you wanted to, we _could_ be friends?"

It was a question, an offer. She was giving him the choice to turn her down. But there was no sign in her eyes that she _wanted_ him to, only that she was giving him that option if _he_ wanted it. He was still a bit winded after his run, so instead of finding words, Rainpaw could only nod.


	21. Chapter 19

Sorry for the late update! I had a 14 hour shift yesterday, and a doctor's appt. D: Thank you for your patience!

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"Rainpaw, concentrate!" Wolfmask snapped, padding up to him as the vole slipped out of his claws.

Rainpaw shook out his fur angrily. Wetness, wetness everywhere. Even on the moor, where there wasn't ferns and trees constantly dripping, there was water. Of course without the trees and fronds blocking the sky, that gave the sleet much more room to fall.

"Sorry Wolfmask," he growled.

"It's not his fault," Gorsepaw chirped, bouncing forward with shining eyes. "His fur's too heavy because of the rain. And here I thought you were trying to make me look good!"

If he was being honest with himself, Rainpaw was not angry because of the weather. Angry wasn't even the right word. He was _frustrated_.

Maizestar had referenced him becoming a warrior soon, but he had not made mention of _when_ this ceremony would occur. Wolfmask was pressing him harder and harder in training as preparation for his final assessments. He said that Rainpaw had to be prepared. Yet not one of them actually said how soon it would happen.

Tigerpaw was redoing his final assessments that very day. Rainpaw had thought, after Tigerpaw had not been made a warrior with Flamethistle and Brightwillow, that he would be made a warrior when Rainpaw and his littermates were. Apparently not.

Gorsepaw's humor was hard to ignore. With a playful nudge, he responded, "Like you'd ever need me to slow down for you."

Today was paired hunting practice. Usually the pairs consisted of two aboveground, two in the tunnels to chase the prey. However their underground partners were not there today. Crowswoop and Nightspots had decided to take Pearlpaw and Mousepaw to the Moonstone the previous night, and they were not back yet.

So instead it was just him and Gorsepaw. Ever since they'd decided to be friends, she'd been quite enthusiastic about fulfilling that promise. She volunteered for tasks such as this one, paired hunting. Rainpaw was supposed to be modeling how to do it for her, as it was really her first experience with it.

Gorsepaw was a quick learner. Wolfmask had explained it to her one time, and then paired with Rainpaw to show her how to do it. When they'd gone out together, Rainpaw had fully expected her to struggle before they made any success. However with her help they'd already caught a bed of mice and a rabbit.

When she wasn't ignoring him for her own popularity's sake, Gorsepaw was actually a fun cat to be around. She was smart, and funny. And her loyalty to her Clan was unquestionable. Rainpaw honestly admired her boldness, even though he sometimes wished she'd tone it back a little bit.

A small noise from behind had Rainpaw's ear swiveling. Ever since the incident with the fox, he'd been extra careful about checking around him for more signs of it. If it snuck up on him while he wasn't paying attention…well, he did _not_ want to relive that chase.

Gorsepaw opened her mouth, her brow folding in confusion. "I smell cats," she admitted.

Suddenly Wolfmask was there, standing in front of them with his hackles raised. His eyes were narrowed in the direction up the slope. Rainpaw instinctively dropped into a crouch. He felt Gorsepaw beside him do the same.

Voices floated down the slope towards them, familiar and yet somehow still worrisome. "Are you okay?" the first voice asked. "Do you need to rest?"

"I'm fine!" the second voice snapped, painstakingly familiar. It set Rainpaw on edge to hear her _here_ of all places.

Gorsepaw stepped forward, looking up at Wolfmask in confusion. "That sounds like Owlflight."

"And a guest," Wolfmask growled in response. Rainpaw glanced up at him to see that he was still stiff, his fur refusing to lie flat.

When the newcomers peaked the hill, the trio could clearly see two outlines. The tom was clearly Owlflight, recognizable even from this distance. Rainpaw could not make out the identity of the she-cat, only that she was unfamiliar to him. At first the pair did not notice the patrol just down the slope from them. It didn't take long, however, for the two to realize they were being watched. Owlflight turned his head, eyes widening at the sight of the two apprentices and their deputy. Apprehensively, he began to lead the way down the slope toward them.

They were at the halfway point when recognition hit Rainpaw as to who the second cat was. "That's Marjorie," he hissed to Wolfmask.

"Who?" Gorsepaw asked, forehead creased in confusion.

"Marjorie. She's the barncat who took in Toadkit," he added in response to Gorsepaw's continued bemusement. Her expression cleared and she eyed the newcomer with more interest.

Owlflight lead Marjorie directly up to where the patrol was waiting. Rainpaw noticed that they were walking rather close, although Marjorie looked incredibly uncomfortable. The pair stopped facing Wolfmask, where Owlflight dipped his head.

"What is going on?" Wolfmask asked. "Who's your friend?"

Owlflight paused, looking around at Marjorie with wide eyes. "Well this is Marjorie. Marjorie, this is Wolfmask, the deputy of the Clan."

The barncat inclined her head towards him, eyes narrowed at him in a similar way to how he was staring at her. She gave him a sharp nod as greeting, stiff and forced in nature.

Wolfmask looked equally uncomfortable. "Who is she?" he asked. "Why have you brought her here?"

The warrior swallowed hard, looking, if possible, a little more nervous than before. "I think I should explain that in front of the whole Clan."

Rainpaw's eyes widened, and when he glanced at Gorsepaw, he saw that she was just as bewildered. No one defied the Clan deputy like that. It wasn't like it didn't happen. There were some things that warriors liked to keep to themselves. But the deputy was the backbone to the Clan, the support that every Clan leader needed. His position required the trust of the whole Clan. Usually when he gave an order, it was followed. And there was no question that this was not a request.

However Wolfmask's only reply was a terse nod.

At Wolfmask's signal, the rag-tag patrol made their way along the edge of the slope towards the WindClan camp. There was a general tension among the cats, from Gorsepaw's stiff shoulders to Marjorie's darting eyes.

They were almost at the camp when a voice called from behind. Wolfmask paused, waiting as Crowswoop and Nightspots came running towards them, Rainpaw's sisters hot on their trails. When they had caught up, Wolfmask signaled for the patrol to gather together. Rainpaw saw Nightspots and Crowswoop exchange a glance, but fall into place. He noticed that Owlflight was with Marjorie at the center of the group rather than with the other warriors.

It was like this they padded into camp. At first nobody seemed to notice. Orchidfur was sitting beside Smilecloud and Sedgeclaw. All three she-cats seemed rather giggly. If Rainpaw wasn't as focused on what was going on with Marjorie, he might have been more curious as to what was going on with them.

Forestheart dashed forward to meet them. "Pearlpaw! Did you hear? Orchidfur is-" she cut off, looking between the warriors and their unexpected guest, a politely bewildered look crossing her features. "Who's this?"

"This is Marjorie," Rainpaw answered her. "She's the barn cat that took in Toadkit."

The brown tabby she-cat offered the pretty barncat a new look of consideration. If she noticed, Marjorie did not respond.

By now the Clan was beginning to notice the newcomer in their presence. Several of the warriors were abandoning their projects to openly stare at her, some like Forestheart were better able to hide their nervousness while others were openly hostile. Talonwhisker was glaring with smoldering concern.

Wolfmask lead them to the center of the camp. "Get Maizestar," Houndwhisker ordered Cloudpaw. The apprentice darted off in the direction of the nursery.

Rainpaw padded over to the edge of the clearing with his sisters, looking curiously over at the group of cats around Orchidfur. "I wonder what's going on," he muttered aloud.

"Was Owlflight with her?" Mousepaw asked, causing Rainpaw to jump. He frowned. He had not been referencing the situation with Marjorie, as that was obviously a problem and he was about to find out. But his own Clanmates didn't often share with him. He might not find out what was going on with Orchidfur for some time.

Still, this was not the time address that issue. "Yeah, he was." Curiosity bloomed in his chest. "I wonder why."

"Maybe he picked her up at the border?" Pearlpaw intoned.

Rainpaw shook his head. "No, he said they had news to share with everyone. They refused to talk about it with Wolfmask," he added. His sisters' eyes widened in surprised.

"What's going on?" Maizestar's voice resounded, loud and commanding. Rainpaw had a flash of deep respect for his leader, and the authoritative way in which he held himself. Everyone turned towards Owlflight and Marjorie as Maizestar glanced at them. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Marjorie glanced at Owlflight, eyes keen. The black-furred tom stepped forward imperiously. His eyes were bright, and Rainpaw felt an air of nervousness from him, despite his calm stature. "I met Marjorie when we took Toadkit to her," he spoke. "She lives at the barn on the way to the Highstones."

"Wait," Crowswoop interrupted, eyeing Marjorie with interest. "She took Toadkit?"

"He goes by Kevin now," Marjorie admitted, but Owlflight swiped his tail over her mouth to silence her.

"That's right," he continued. "And much like many of us at the time, I was uncomfortable leaving one of our kits in the care of a kittypet, a kittypet who knew nothing of Clan life, might I add."

Owlflight hesitated, as if he were afraid to go on. "The first time I went to see her was the night after we'd taken Toadkit to her. I wanted to make sure that he was safe. So I followed her trail, and found her barn. Toadkit seemed alright. Confused, but safe, and he was obviously well-cared for. But I was still uncomfortable, so I stayed and talked to Marjorie. I hoped that if I got to know her better, I'd feel better about leaving Toadkit there."

"And you fell in love with her," Maizestar guessed. His dark eyes were unreadable.

Owlflight nodded in reply, and Rainpaw heard Pearlpaw gasp beside him in shock.

Maizestar spoke again, "And now she wants to join our Clan?"

The dark warrior hesitated. "It's a little more complicated than that," he said in a rush. "Marjorie is expecting kits."

There were true gasps of surprise now as the Clan grasped what Owlflight had said. The cats were murmuring darkly among themselves, looking at Marjorie with suspicion in their eyes.

Rainpaw narrowed his eyes, looking at the pretty barncat. She did not look nervous, despite the Clan's obvious surprise and even distaste. In fact, her gaze flared with untamed fire, and her tailtip twitched ever so slightly with defiance.

"Wait, we're not planning on actually taking this kits in, are we?" Talonwhisker said, stepping forward. "We don't have enough warriors to take care of the kits we have now, let alone these half-breeds."

Owlflight began to respond, stepping forward and opening his mouth, but Wolfmask spoke before the warrior could, "Talonwhisker, stop."

"But Wolfmask, he's right," Patchcloud said quietly. "We don't have enough warriors to train the apprentices we have, let alone new ones."

"You forget that some of our apprentices are nearly ready to be warriors themselves," Sparrowclaw answered with a less than subtle glance at where Rainpaw and his littermates were sitting.

Talonwhisker growled, "That doesn't change the fact that we have enough kits in the Clan as it is. Why did we send Toadkit away in the first place? With the sickness going around the Clan, we'll have more cats needing to be taken care of than we have cats to take care of them! Not to mention that these kits will be _half-Clan_. They won't have the discipline it takes to become warriors."

"Enough," Maizestar growled suddenly, his eyes flashing warningly around the Clan. His gaze locked on Owlflight, who, Rainpaw was impressed to see, didn't flinch. "Owlflight, by taking a mate outside the Clan, you have betrayed us all. This will not go unpunished. However," Maizestar continued, voice softening. "I will not punish innocent kits for your mistakes. Of course we will take them in."

"But you were willing to punish Toadkit," Hollypool spoke suddenly. She continued, despite the uncomfortable looks everyone was throwing her. "He's an innocent kit and you were not willing to have the Clan keep him. He was already in the Clan and you weren't willing to keep him."

Maizestar bowed his head, tail drooping and for the first time looking worn. "I made a mistake sending Toadkit away," he said mournfully. "It is the duty of the Clan to take care of those who cannot care for themselves. By sending him away, I have disgraced WindClan."

Everyone was quiet for a long moment, taking in what he'd said. Rainpaw looked around his Clanmates stricken faces, from Crowswoop's pensive look to Hollypool's angry face. Only Marjorie did not seem upset in some way. In fact, she looked almost confused.

"Do you mean Kevin?" she asked.

Hollypool stepped forward, eyes blazing. "No, they mean Toadkit!"

The barncat faced the black-furred warrior, ears twitching. "That kit they gave me? He goes by Kevin now."

"Kevin?" Hollypool spat. "His name is _Toadkit_!"

Marjorie only shrugged. "That's what the Twolegs call him. So he decided to change his name. He didn't like _Toadkit_ , I guess," she added almost smugly.

Hollypool opened her mouth to reply, but Maizestar snapped before she could. "I said _enough_!" he growled. "Marjorie, you are welcome to stay as long as you like. Your kits will of course be welcomed here. Owlflight will make you a nest in the nursery."

"Maizestar, there's only one problem with that," Pushleaf said, stepping forward. "Orchidfur moved into the nursery this morning. There aren't enough nests for everyone in there."

"Right," Hollypool said stiffly. "Send the kittypet back to her Twolegs where she belongs."

Maizestar silenced the black she-cat with a glare before turning back to Pushleaf. "Then the time has come WindClan has new apprentices."

As he finished speaking, he jumped up onto the Tallrock. On Rainpaw's left, Gorsepaw leaned in to whisper to him, "Guess we know why Beetlewing was so happy then, huh."

"What?" he whispered, shooting her a confused glance. The wiry brown apprentice merely indicated where the brown tom was sitting, his eyes unusually keen. Rainpaw barely had a moment to wonder at Gorsepaw's sharp observance before Maizestar was speaking.

"Gougekit and Heatherkit, you have reached six moons, and are ready to train in the ways of WindClan," the leader was saying. Hollypool gaped up at him, clearly caught off guard by the sudden apprentice ceremony. "Heatherkit, from now on you shall be known as Heatherpaw. Houndwhisker, you are ready for your first apprentice. You will be mentor to Heatherpaw. Train her in your cunning and your boldness."

The newly named Heatherpaw touched noses with her new mentor, who looked equally as nervous. Together, the two of them padded to the side of the clearing.

"Gougekit," Maizestar continued on hurriedly. "From this moment on, you will be known as Gougepaw. Hawkfall, you have trained others so well in the art of WindClan hunting. I ask you to now pass these skills on to your new apprentice, Gougepaw."

Rainpaw felt for a moment the new apprentices were being gipped. They had not had any preparation for there ceremony at all, and now it felt as though Maizestar were rushing through it, as though he were simply going through the motions. Briefly, Rainpaw wondered what was bothering his leader so much. He watched as his leader jumped down from the Tallrock, disappearing into his den before the chanting of the new names had even begun.


	22. Chapter 20

Hey guys, thank you for reading! I wanted to let you all know that there might not be an update next week depending on how much writing I get done this week. Check out my twitter (talaleisu2) to get notifs on that! Thanks again for all your wonderful reviews :)

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The days were getting longer, and warmer, by infinitesimal amounts with each passing arc of the sun, but noticeable just the same. With final assessments around the corner, it meant that Rainpaw spent the majority of his days training his tail off in preparation for what could be his final challenge as an apprentice. Mousepaw and Pearlpaw too were spending more time aboveground than usual, working to make sure they had the makings of a good WindClan hunter.

This of course also meant Rainpaw was spending a lot of extra time with his mentor than usual. When Rustpelt had been his mentor, Rainpaw had barely seen the deputy. Then when Silverfrost was his mentor, she would take him out at least once every other day to make sure she was giving him appropriate attention, but otherwise spent her time helping to run the Clan. Now it felt like Wolfmask was giving him more attention than he was giving his deputy duties.

Of course that wasn't true. But that's certainly how it felt.

Which Rainpaw saw as a perfect excuse to get to know his mentor a little better. The truth was, even if Rainpaw could not prove that Wolfmask was his father, he actually kind of wanted it to be true. Wolfmask was…well there was really no other way to put, Wolfmask was _cool_. He was a funny, caring mentor, and he paid careful attention to Rainpaw's training. Even as tired as he was every night before sleep, Rainpaw couldn't help but feel as if he was learning now more than he ever had.

Rainpaw flopped into his nest with a huff. His paws ached from a particularly difficult climb he'd done earlier that day. However he'd seen the vole scampering up the side of a rocky ledge, and he'd not wanted it to get away. Personally, he thought his catch had been spectacular, however no one in the Clan had commented on it. Was this what it would be like to be a warrior? Doing severely challenging things in the service of your Clan and getting no thanks for it?

"That was so cool," Heatherpaw was saying from her nest. Today had been her first day underground. "I couldn't see anything, no matter how hard I tried!"

"No light gets under there," Cloudpaw said smugly. "So your eyes can't see anything."

"What if something happens?" Heatherpaw asked. "What if there's a cave-in or something? How will we get away?"

"Don't worry," Cloudpaw answered. His voice sounded almost extra soft. "I'd protect you."

Rainpaw snorted into his nest, but didn't comment. Like Cloudpaw would know what to do. He was training as a moor-runner. More than likely the mentors would help her. Or she'd be crushed.

"You got a problem, maggot-breath?" Cloudpaw grumbled at him.

"Quiet," Tigerpaw growled from his nest before Rainpaw could reply. "Some of us have our assessments tomorrow."

Rainpaw shuddered. Tomorrow was his final assessment, along with Mousepaw and Pearlpaw, and not surprisingly Tigerpaw. It was going to be a long day, but if all went well, tomorrow he'd be a warrior.

What would that be like? He wondered if Bluedapple would finally tell them who their father was. Maybe once he was a warrior he'd be able to get the answer out of her.

He imagined himself leading patrols, maybe even getting his own apprentice. For the first time Rainpaw wondered if he'd ever have kits. As a warrior, he'd be allowed to father kits. Not that there were she-cats lining up exactly. Besides, he wanted to find the right one before having a family of his own. But maybe once he held the respect of his Clanmates he'd be able to.

Visions filled his head of leading young cats through training exercises, of going to the Gathering and hearing his name announced in front of all the Clans. That would certainly show Heronflight! Suddenly the weight of his tasks tomorrow bared down on his paws. He wondered what tasks Wolfmask was going to make him do. Whatever they were, he couldn't let them worry him. After his great catch today among the lookout rocks, he'd be fine for his training tomorrow.

The dreams had just started setting in when the first crack hit.

Rainpaw wasn't entirely sure at first if it was part of his dream, or if it was real. All he knew was that whatever it was that had woken him was _loud_. It took a few moments of blinking at his bleary-eyed Clanmates to realize that whatever it was had woken them too, meaning it couldn't have been something he'd dreamed up.

Then another crack hit, this time filling the den with a flash of light, illuminating everyone within the apprentices' den.

"What was _that_?" Gorsepaw exclaimed. Rainpaw jumped up, peering outside the den to see if he could tell what was going on. At first he saw nothing but the camp in darkness. Then a brilliant flash of light streaked across the sky, a loud crack accompanying it.

"Lightning," he answered shortly, peering up at the sky as another streak lit the sky. He could just make out Pearlpaw's features beside him as she stared up in wonder at the streaks of light.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, captivated by the sight.

Rainpaw had to admit, she was right. Despite the loud cracks of thunder with each strike, the light dancing across the cloudy sky really was pretty. The way it illuminated the rolling thunderheads was mesmerizing in its own way.

"Wow!" Heatherpaw exclaimed as a bolt arched from the cloud down to touch the ground. Her voice was drowned out by the thunderous boom that went with the lightning.

Her enthusiasm changed into a squeak of terror as another bolt struck the ground within the camp, mere fox-lengths away from the entrance of the camp. The thunder that accompanied it was deafening. And the bolt wasn't alone. It was succeeded immediately by another strike, just outside the camp wall across from the apprentices' den.

"What's going on?" Skypaw asked in fear as yet a third strike landed along the camp wall. "Do you think StarClan is angry at us?"

The question had barely left her lips when a fourth lightning bolt streaked down and struck the camp wall behind the Tallrock. Rainpaw watched in horror as sparks flashed out from the spot where the lightning struck, landing on some dried out heather which caught in an instant.

" _The camp is on fire!_ " Mousepaw cried before he could. The apprentices bolted out of their den, racing towards the flames, but Rainpaw could tell that they were growing faster than he or the others would be able to put it out.

Sudden chaos erupted in the camp. Warriors streamed out of their den, racing in several directions. Some were heading towards the fire to try and put it out while others were running away from the open flames.

Maizestar's voice boomed out above the chaos. " _Everyone evacuate_. Get the kits and elders out _now_!"

The flames were now several tail-lengths high and had engulfed the gorse wall against the side of the Tallrock. It lit up the camp, giving a surreal sense of unreality.

Wolfmask suddenly appeared out of the kerfuffle. "Mousepaw, get her out of here," he ordered sharply, jerking his head in Heatherpaw's direction. Rainpaw could see that she was nearing hysterics. "Pearlpaw, go help Jumpleaf. Rainpaw, help me get the kits!"

Once he had a directive, Rainpaw felt unusually calm. He shared a brief look with his littermates before turning away, pounding forward to where the queens were huddled next to the kits. "Come on," Pushleaf was murmuring calmly to Grasskit. "We're going to be okay. We just have to keep moving."

Rainpaw didn't wait for the wailing kit to calm down. He reached down and scooped the young kit by his scruff, grunting at the unexpected weight. On his other side, he heard Wolfmask address Marjorie and Orchidfur, "Are you okay?"

"We're fine," Orchidfur answered him in a tone of surprising calm.

"Then head towards the river," Wolfmask ordered. "Rainpaw, you too. We're all meeting up there."

He did not know how his mentor knew this, but decided not to question it. Carrying Grasskit, Rainpaw padded beside the young queens. He was reluctant to leave Pushleaf with two hysterical kits and only Wolfmask to help, but when he saw the look on Marjorie's face he knew he didn't have much of a choice. While the barncat did not exactly look panicky, he could see the fear etched in her features, especially thrown off by the flickering light of the fire.

They made slow progress through the camp towards the entrance. Marjorie and Orchidfur leaned on each other as they went. Grasskit squirmed in Rainpaw's jaws, making carrying him particularly difficult.

The fire was quickly spreading, having already engulfed what used to be the elders' den and hungrily reaching towards Maizestar's den. Despite the destructiveness of the flames, they were oddly beautiful. Rainpaw was certain that if he wasn't so scared, he would find them fascinating.

Once they'd ducked through the entrance and were out of the camp, the light from the fire dimmed ever so slightly, blocked by the gorse wall. A pang of sadness coursed through Rainpaw as he realized that the wall was facing imminent demise very soon.

At least Grasskit calmed down a little once they were moving away from the camp.

The others began to appear out of the darkness. There was Crowswoop with Gougepaw looking like his miniature in the darkness, heading towards the river. "Here, let me carry him," Crowswoop offered, reaching down towards Grasskit. Rainpaw set down the heavy kit gratefully.

"Have you seen any others?" Gougepaw asked him eagerly, for once looking less like angry and more anxious. Rainpaw could only guess he was worried about his sister, and hastened to reassure him.

"Heatherpaw's with Mousepaw. They left camp before I did. I bet they're already at the river."

They padded the rest of the way in silence, heading towards the gorge and then veering downwards towards where the slope met the water. The sound of voices grew louder than the sound of the gurgling water. Rainpaw watched the queens lay down on the side of the bank, between a couple of the warriors. Grasskit had stopped squirming by now and simply collapsed onto the ground next to Orchidfur, eyes wide with shock.

He looked around his Clanmates' dejected faces. He could see Maizestar with Auburnmist, coaxing Pale-eyes to eat what looked like some sort of herb. He stood and padded forward, reaching down to sniff Grasskit curiously. "Are you okay?" he murmured, glancing up at Rainpaw while he asked it.

"I'm fine," he responded, surprised to hear how scratchy his voice sounded.

Maizestar looked at him for only a moment longer before peering up. "You've got them," he said, relief in his voice nearly tangible. Rainpaw whirled around to see Wolfmask approaching, setting down Shallowkit next to her brother. Saborkit was walking beside his mother, leaning against her.

"The camp is mostly engulfed now," Wolfmask murmured. "I only just got us out in time."

Shock filled Rainpaw when he heard that. There was nothing left of the camp? Nothing?

"We'll rebuild," Maizestar said. "Did everyone get out okay?"

"No," A croaky voice called. Smallscratch stepped forward, looking around. "I can't find Galecoal or Silverfrost."

Wolfmask's head whipped around to look at the elder. "I didn't see them in the camp. Talonwhisker was sent to help them. I can only assume they made it out."

"I'm sure we'll find them, or they'll come here," Maizestar said in a reassuring voice. "StarClan won't abandon them. Is everyone else present?"

"No," Auburnmist said in a shaky voice. "Jumpleaf isn't here."

"And I can't find Pearlpaw," Mousepaw added from behind, her eyes wide with fear. The words had just left her mouth when the downpour began.


	23. Chapter 21

Oh boy, here we go! Hope you all enjoy this chapter cause it was an adventure to write! Incredibly heartfelt and you will know why once you've read it. I got a question about my update schedule. I update this on Mondays, and if there's a delay, I post it on my twitter (talaleisu2). Thanks again for all your support!

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Maizestar waited until the rain stopped before they ventured back towards the camp. Not wanting the Clan to head back only to have to turn around, he sent Patchcloud and Wolfmask along to check the camp before the Clan went along.

When Wolfmask gave the okay, the Clan slowly began to make their way upward along the bank towards the camp.

"Did you see the others?" asked Houndwhisker in concern.

Wolfmask looked up, the look on his face making Rainpaw's heart sink straight through his stomach. He thought he might puke.

"I did not see Silverfrost, Galecoal, or Talonwhisker," Wolfmask said at last. "But…I did find the others."

"Are they okay?" Bluedapple asked, the sheer panic in her voice making Rainpaw's heart simply stop beating. Wolfmask did not answer.

They made their way up the slope slowly. It was the most defeated he'd ever seen his Clan. Rainpaw knew why. Everyone knew that some of their Clanmates didn't make it. Some cats of the cats they all knew were dead.

And Rainpaw knew, without having to be told, that his sister was one of those who didn't make it. She had never kept them waiting before. Never. Her loyalty was unquestionable. Her faith unshakeable.

Wolfmask stopped him right before entered the camp. "Maybe you want to stay out here," his mentor said slowly.

"Why?" Rainpaw demanded. Wolfmask didn't answer, only shook his head. "I'm going in with my Clanmates."

Before his mentor could stop him, Rainpaw raced ahead to be with the others.

The camp entrance was completely in tact, which surprised Rainpaw. He had thought, given the level of destruction he'd seen with the fire, that more would have been gone.

However, the lack of damage ended the moment they entered the camp. The nursery, the elders' den, and Maizestar's den were all completely burned down. The camp wall was destroyed along the edge of the warriors' den and extending all the way around the back of the camp until it reached the apprentices' den along the arc. Where the medicine den had been was a charred mess.

Somehow, Rainpaw had not prepared himself for what he would find in there. Lying in the middle of the camp were two bodies, scorched almost beyond recognition, although Rainpaw had enough experience with his Clanmates to know who they were.

Jumpleaf still had what appeared to be leaves in her mouth. Ironically they were completely untouched. Her face was soft, her eyes closed. She looked almost peaceful.

The other bundle was smaller. Her fur, normally gray, was completely black with soot. Rainpaw recognized his sister immediately despite the color change.

"Pearlpaw?" Mousepaw whimpered beside him. Rainpaw scarcely heard her. In fact, he was not really aware of any of his Clanmates anymore. Only Pearlpaw.

He stepped forward slowly, feeling the grass break under his claws as he approached her. She was too still for sleep, although he hoped that that was the case. Her whiskers were singed near to her cheek. Her eyes, too, were closed. Her legs splayed out around her, as if she had collapsed on the spot.

"Pearlpaw," he murmured, wanting to stir her awake. He wanted her to be asleep.

Gently, he reached out a paw to nudge her. Her body was stiff, solid, but that's not what upset him the most. Her fur was coarse to the touch, brittle. It broke at his touch.

Horror seized him in a chokehold. There was no longer any air in his lungs. Rainpaw stumbled backwards as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't realize he wasn't breathing until his vision swam.

He heard someone say his name, but he wasn't listening. Somebody was screaming. Just like with the fox, it took him a moment to realize it was himself. Suddenly Bluedapple's face was in front of his.

"Rainpaw!" she said thickly. "Breathe!"

At her orders he took a deep breath in and released it, then another. Then another. Too quickly, he thought. Too quickly. Maizestar padded towards him.

"Rainpaw," he exclaimed. Calm Rainpaw would have noticed his Clan leader looked almost scared, but in that instant all he saw when he looked at the golden tom was all the failures WindClan had endured since Rainpaw's apprenticeship.

" _No!_ " he snarled at last. "This is your fault!" He turned his head to glare at each of his Clanmates at once. "It's all your fault!"

"Rainpaw, get ahold of yourself," Nightspots said, but Rainpaw only bared his teeth at her.

"He's right," Maizestar said suddenly, interrupting Rainpaw's tirade and making him stop. "This _is_ my fault."

Sedgeclaw padded forward, brushing her fur against Maizestar's. "There's no way you could have saved her," she murmured to him, shooting Rainpaw a glare. Rainpaw glared right back.

"No," Maizestar said quietly. "It is my fault. It is my fault for not talking about this with the Clan. It is my fault for not leading the Clan towards more acceptance. If I had spoken to the Clan, even tried to convince the Clan not to judge our young ones by their parents' actions, then maybe we would have paid more attention to her. Maybe this disaster could have been prevented."

When he looked up, his eyes were mournful in a way that made Rainpaw's heart freeze. He would have to live many lifetimes more to understand the pain and hurt there.

"I, Maizestar, leader of WindClan call upon my warriors ancestors to look down upon this apprentice," his leader said in a voice almost too loud for the occasion. "She trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and she gave her life in the service of her Clan. Let StarClan receive her as a warrior in her right."

Rainpaw watched as his leader stepped towards his sister's body. "Like the light she gave this Clan, I give her the name Pearlshine." With that final word, he reached down to touch his nose to Pearlshine's stiff shoulder. To give his leader credit, he did not even so much as flinch at the rough touch of Pearlshine's burnt fur.

Once he'd stood back up, Maizestar faced first Bluedapple, then turned to look at Mousepaw and Rainpaw in turn. "I also ask that you look upon these two apprentices. They trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

It wasn't until Maizestar stood directly in front of Mousepaw that Rainpaw realized this was really happening. Only it wasn't anything like he'd expected. "Mousepaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Mouseleap. StarClan honors your resilience, and your cleverness, and we welcome you as a full member of WindClan."

No cat chanted or cheered as he said it. They only watched in sadness, somehow louder than any celebration could ever be, as Maizestar touched his head to Mouseleap's forehead, and while the warrior licked his shoulder in turn.

Then Maizestar padded over to Rainpaw. "Rainpaw," the golden leader began. "from this moment on, you shall be known as Rainheart. WindClan values your strength of heart, and your dedication to justice. We welcome you as a full member of WindClan."

When Maizestar's nose touched between Rainheart's ears, he felt a moment of mutiny. He didn't want to have to lick the old leader's shoulder. But he did. He did because of tradition, because of commonality. He did it because he had to.

While his tongue coursed his leader's fur, he heard a whisper in his ear, timeless despite the age behind the meaning, "Shine for her."

Rainheart only turned away.


	24. Chapter 22

Hey guys! Short chapter here. Still, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for your reviews and keep 'em coming!

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As far as warrior vigils were supposed to go, Rainheart was certain that this wasn't it. Normally, the Clan would sleep while the new warriors protected the camp. However tonight, the entire Clan remained awake, mourning the loss of two of their own. He didn't talk, not out of reflection of his new position, but out of respect for his lost sister. Mouseleap and Bluedapple sat with him.

Wolfmask stopped by towards the beginning of the sunset to pay his respects before moving off. Rainheart wondered what the tomcat thought. Was he mourning the loss of his daughter, or was he simply sad because Pearlshine had been one of his Clanmates?

It was the longest, hardest night of Rainheart's life.

Maizestar set the Clan to work. He sent a search party consisting of Runningstorm, Sparrowrush, and Echospring out to look for the their three missing Clanmates, and had the young apprentices make nests in the apprentices' den for the queens and kits. Smallscratch and Thorntooth were able to get comfy nests in the warriors' den to rest in. While no one was expected to work on the camp wall right away, some of the warriors were already talking about their plans to fix up the camp. Some of them wanted to move the nursery closer to the warriors' den to make it more protected.

Towards the end of the night, when he sun was just barely on the horizon, a lone figure struggled into the camp.

"Galecoal!" someone cried out, the first sound all night.

Warriors rushed forward to assist the elder, helping her lean against them and guiding her towards the center of the camp. Auburnmist stood up and stared at the elder's heaving flanks as if fixated. "She's struggling to breathe," Wolfmask said softly, the concern in his voice obvious. "She must have inhaled too much smoke."

Still, Auburnmist did not move.

"Do something!" Forestheart cried at the medicine cat. "Don't just stand there."

Auburnmist looked at the warrior in surprise. "I don't know what to do!" she wailed suddenly "I've never seen this before. I don't know how to…" she choked off with a sob.

From beside him, Bluedapple jumped into action. "We'll need honey," she listed. "and chickweed, as well as goatweed if possible."

"I don't know what herbs she managed to save," Auburnmist moaned. "I don't know what all we have."

"Then take some warriors with you and go look for them," Bluedapple said. "The entire Clan is depending on you to take control, Auburnmist. You can do this."

Something in Bluedapple's words seemed to comfort the young medicine cat. The crazed look in her eyes faded to calm, controlled. She nodded then turned around, "Sedgeclaw, Tigerpaw, come with me. I'll tell you what to look for."

Together they raced out of the camp, paws thundering in the soot and grass to look for the right herbs.

They had barely gone when Runningstorm's patrol returned. "We found Silverfrost and Talonwhisker," he said. Rainheart's heart dropped again in another sickening swoop. "They were unburned, but it seems they succumbed to smoke inhalation." The warrior hesitated. "We buried them there. I know it's normally a job for the elders' but, I felt as though they deserved rest and peace."

Maizestar bowed his head in deep grief, his eyes closed. He looked visibly shaken. "WindClan has never lost so many at once before," he murmured quietly. In that instant, with his head bowed and his eyes closed, he looked utterly defeated. But when he picked up his head again, there was a fire in his eyes that Rainheart recognized. This was a cat with purpose. "Yet our Clan will grow back, stronger than before. We have to keep fighting. I will miss our fallen Clanmates, but I will never give up hope for my Clan."

The sun had started to rise. Rainheart looked up at the sky, where light was spreading over the horizon. With the light of a new day, the camp devastation was clearer than ever. Sadness ripped through his heart knowing that so much had gone wrong. Things in WindClan would never be the same, and Silverfrost, Jumpleaf, Talonwhisker, even his own sister Pearlshine would never get to see it.


	25. Chapter 23

Thank you all for your comments! keep the reviews coming :) and enjoy this next chapter!

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"That's it, Rainheart," Wolfmask spat angrily at him in the light of dawn one morning. "I can't spare you anymore."

Rainheart sat bolt upright, blinking moss out of his eyes. "What?" he asked groggily. It was fully daylight out, and very few warriors were sleeping at this time, but Rainheart had not fallen asleep until much after the moon had passed its highest point in the sky.

Wolfmask paced over him, clearly distressed. "You've been slacking on your duties, you haven't been exercising as much. You've simply fallen apart."

Once upon a time his old mentor's words probably would have hurt Rainheart, but all he felt now was mild annoyance watching the deputy's muddy paws catch in his bedding. "Hey, you're messing up my nest," he complained.

The deputy whirled around to glare at him. His face looked supremely angry, but then he seemed to relax a little. "I understand what happened with the fire was…upsetting."

Rainheart did not want to talk about the fire. "Uh huh," he mumbled absently.

"But you're not the only cat who lost someone," Wolfmask continued, ignoring Rainheart's tone. "We _all_ lost Clanmates."

"You didn't lose your sister," Rainheart shot back, but instantly regretted it.

"Mouseleap doesn't slack on _her_ duties," Wolfmask fired back just as quick. "She lost Pearlshine too, but she's been keeping up with all of her chores."

"None of you cared about her!" Rainheart spat, jumping to his feet and ignoring the disapproved voices of his Clanmates. "None of you loved her the way I did! She didn't deserve to be treated the way she was!"

Wolfmask padded forward, eyes glittering with poorly concealed rage. "None of your Clanmates deserve to be treated the way you're treating us! Do you even care about your Clan anymore?"

"Of course I care!" Rainheart answered, voice rising with shock.

His old mentor did not stop, though. "Does it even matter to you if your Clanmates starve? What about the kits, Rainheart? Why are you never the one bringing them food?"

Rainheart's fur began to prickle with annoyance. "I do bring food! I hunt every day!"

"That's all you ever do," Wolfmask snorted, no longer shouting but looking at Rainheart with deep contempt. "You only ever do what's expected of you anymore. You never notice your Clanmates. You don't care anymore."

"Enough," said a deeper, calmer voice. Bluedapple had stood up, addressing both toms at once. Rainheart's heart beat uncomfortably in his chest. Why was his mother not looking at him?

Wolfmask took a deep breath before turning back to Rainheart. "Do what you have to, Rainheart. I won't berate you anymore. But I expected more from my own apprentice."

With that, the tom turned and whisked his way out of the warriors' den. Rainheart looked around. The only other warriors in the den were Sedgeclaw and Bluedapple. Sedgeclaw had been sleeping a lot lately, claiming her stomach hurt. Bluedapple had been on the night patrol looking for herbs to restock Auburnmist's supply. Neither was looking at him.

Rainheart gulped uncomfortably, pushing his way out of the warriors' den now that he definitely couldn't sleep any longer. He knew today he was supposed to help with the camp wall by going out and collecting heather with a couple of the apprentices. It was an apprentice job, unflattering by all means. Part of him felt insulted knowing that he was being used on apprentice duties. He was a _warrior_ now. Shouldn't he be doing more important things?

"Oh there you are, Rainheart!" Skypaw said, padding over to him with bright eyes. Forestheart and Cloudpaw were patiently waiting. "Now we can go."

"Where are we going?" Rainheart asked.

"We're going down to the bottom of the territory," Forestheart said, her voice sharp. "There's a chance that the debris down there was spared from the fire." She gave him a once-over glance, full of contempt. "You would know all about this if you were on time this morning. Instead we've been waiting for you."

Frustration bubbled in Rainheart's chest. "Well you should have left without me!" he snarled.

Forestheart looked at him with open disgust. "You're welcome. Now are we gonna go or what?"

"Fine!" he snapped, digging his claws into the dirt.

"Wait," said a calmer voice. Rainheart turned to glare in surprise as Gorsepaw stepped forward, abandoning Brightwillow from where they'd been working on the wall together. "Forestheart, can you go on without him? I need Rainheart for our project."

Forestheart snorted derisively, but flicked her tail and lead the others out of the camp without argument. Rainheart watched her go with legitimate anger. Whatever her problem was, he couldn't understand it.

A soft tail brushed his flank, laying his fur flat and making him jump. "Come on," Gorsepaw murmured in his ear. "Let's talk."

"What about Brightwillow?" he grumbled, uncertain.

Gorsepaw's eyes were calm as she looked at him. "She'll be fine without me for a little bit. Let's go."

At her urging, Rainheart followed her out of the camp and up the moor, towards a rocky outcrop that overlooked the camp. Once they settled there, Rainheart expected her to start talking. But she didn't. Instead she sat next to him, looking over the camp with a strange look on her face. He wanted to ask her what she wanted to talk about, but something about the glint in her eyes stopped him.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. Rainheart turned and looked again outwards. The camp was directly below them. From this angle, they could see everything within the walls. There was Saborkit, helping Gougepaw and Heatherpaw drag gorse brambles across from a pile for the warriors to weave into the wall.

"I guess," he muttered, looking away uncomfortably.

"The Clan is wonderful in many ways," Gorsepaw continued. "The way we all work together is astonishing. I've always been proud to be a part of it."

Rainheart didn't answer, just stared straight ahead. He could see Gorsepaw staring at him out of the corner of his eyes. "You can't blame the Clan forever, Rainheart," she said suddenly.

Anger boiled in his chest. "I don't blame them."

"Yes, you do," Gorsepaw shot back. "You have ever since the fire."

"You don't know what it's like," he hissed, bristling defensively. "You don't know what it's like to lose a littermate!"

"You're wrong," Gorsepaw answered sternly, her ears drawing back in what looked like indignation. "I lost _my_ littermate before I even left the nursery!" Rainheart froze, the hot anger in his chest turning suddenly to cold shock. "My mother too," Gorsepaw continued, her voice thick with emotion.

For a long moment they sat like that. Rainheart's fur slowly began to lay flat, and Gorsepaw's look of frustration turned to one of intense hurt.

"I lost them both," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Before I was old enough to understand what was happening."

Rainheart was still too in shock to answer. He had completely forgotten about Splotchkit and Cloverleaf, if he was honest with himself. Suddenly he felt guilty. How could he have forgotten that Gorsepaw had lost family as well?

"For the longest I blamed you," she admitted. Absurdly Gorsepaw let out a bark of laughter, although there was no humor in it. "It was so stupid. But Thorntooth told us that if you weren't born, they would still be alive. And I was dumb enough to believe it."

"Gorsepaw…" he started, but she waved her tail nonchalantly.

"I know now that it was wrong. I just…wanted them back." She turned her head, eyes brimming with sincerity. "I'm really sorry about Pearlshine," she said. "She really was a good cat, and didn't deserve to go the way she did."

Rainheart didn't know what to say to this, he just stared at the apprentice, realizing how much wiser she had become since she'd been apprenticed all those moons ago.

"I like to think that Cloverleaf was there to guide her into StarClan," Gorsepaw said with a smile. "That she met Splotchkit there and trained him how to be a warrior."

Rainheart sat down again, close enough to let his fur brush hers in comfort. He was surprised by the tingle of warmth he felt in that small contact. "I'm sorry too," he said back. "I shouldn't have said what I said."

"That's okay," Gorsepaw answered, looking at him with a watery smile. "I know you were just upset." She hesitated before adding, "If it helps, I think she'd be proud of you and Mouseleap, of what you've become."

"And your mom is proud of you," he responded. "I know it."

"Thank you," she said. "And you know, if you ever need something, I'm here." Then she gave a long sigh and rested her head gently against his shoulder. Rainheart responded by letting his head rest on hers. "I'm here."


	26. Chapter 24

Sorry this is so late! I've had quite a busy day. Enjoy the latest chapter update!

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Clan life went on. Hard as it was, it really did. And this time, Rainheart tried to be a part of it.

Saborpaw was given his apprentice name, and given to Echospring as her first apprentice. It was actually quite a heartfelt ceremony, as the Clan was rooting him on extra hard due to his blindness in his one eye. However it stunned Rainheart to see how big the tomcat and grown since he'd needed to be rescued from the fox. It felt like such a long time ago.

In the meantime, Marjorie and Orchidfur gave birth back-to-back. Orchidfur had three kits, two she-kits and a tom. The first she-kit was a tortoiseshell tabby, the second a creamy and white calico, and the tom was a red tabby. She named them Cherrykit, Peachkit, and Redkit respectively.

Marjorie gave birth to three she-kits, and the name argument commenced immediately. The barncat wanted to name them Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup while Owlflight wanted to give them Clan names. They decided on Blossomkit and Bubblekit for the first two, but argued for _days_ about the third. Marjorie did not want to change her name from Buttercup but Owlflight flatly refused to call her Buttercupkit. Eventually they settled on Flutterkit, although Marjorie was definitely unhappy about it.

Galecoal surprisingly didn't succumb to her wounds, although she didn't heal quite as quickly as the Clan would have hoped. She seemed plateaued at a recovery level, constantly wheezing and mostly laying in the rebuilt medicine den. She struggled to swallow her food, and eventually Auburnmist revealed to him she had to chew the elder's food for her.

Apparently none of the other Clans had trouble with fire. In fact, none of them mentioned the storm at all.

"RiverClan has two new warriors," Ripplestar announced at the Gathering. "Gravelstone and Newtsplash."

Rainheart could see his old friend sitting among his Clanmates, head lifted proudly.

When it was Maizestar's turn, he padded forward with his head bowed. "WindClan has had a hard season. Several of our warriors, including our newest warrior and our medicine cat, died in a fire." He lifted his head, swiveling around to glare at all cats equally in the Clans. Rainheart didn't miss the way Runningstar's eyes glinted with interest at the admission of the fire. "If anything, this has made us stronger. Our Clanmates are closer than ever before, and our camp has been reinforced to stronger than it was before the fire."

"Good for you," Lynxstar said politely. "And my condolences to your lost warriors and medicine cat."

"You should name your deceased," Tanglestar murmured. "So we can all honor them."

"Yes, and who is your new medicine cat?" wheezed Ripplestar. Runningstar didn't say anything, just watched with glittering eyes.

Maizestar took a deep breath. "We lost our warriors Talonwhisker, and new warrior Pearlshine." There was a collective murmur throughout the gathered cats. Rainheart noticed some of them exchanging glances. "We lost our elder Silverfrost, and one of our other elders is very sick from the smoke, Galecoal." At that there was a real mournful sigh, as if the Clans really were hurt from this news. Even Runningstar looked mildly distraught. And Rainheart realized why immediately. Silverfrost had been a respected deputy for the Clan for many moons, and Galecoal had been a fierce and strong warrior in her day. Many of the cats gathered here had heard of them both many a time. "Finally we lost our medicine cat, Jumpleaf, who was succeeded by her apprentice, Auburnmist."

There were a few cheers, and not a few murmurs, mostly respectful. Apparently despite her young age, Auburnmist was already well established among the Clans.

"That's quite a list," Runningstar said, his voice thick with fake emotion. "What a tragedy to befall WindClan." He spoke of tragedy, but Rainheart noted the barely concealed smile there.

Maizestar lifted his head, eyes narrowed. Rainheart knew immediately his Clan leader could see through the ThunderClan tom's ruse. "Yes," he answered carefully. "WindClan has lost a lot. But we have gained even more. We have six new kits, three new apprentices who couldn't be here tonight, and two new warriors, Rainheart and Mouseleap."

Even though Rainheart knew it was customary for leaders to announce new warriors in this way, a jolt still ran through him when his name was called. Several of the cats nearest to him looked around at him. His heart pulsed in his chest as he met the eyes of several Clan cats around him, some of them not so friendly.

As quick as it came on, it was over. Tanglestar stepped up to make his announcement, and the Gathering went on.

Later, as they were separating from the other Clans and preparing to head up towards the camp, a voice called out to him, both familiar and unnerving. "Rainheart!" Gravelstone called, racing towards him. "What an awesome name. We're both warriors now. Isn't that awesome?"

Rainheart opened his mouth to answer, but Gravelstone continued before he could. "I guess this means we won't be doing much talking over the borders like we used to anymore, but you'll always be my friend!"

Once again before Rainheart could say anything in response, a voice called over from the RiverClan border. "Oh, that's Heronflight," the new warrior said, looking around to check. As if he wasn't already sure. "I better go. See you around then, Rain _heart_!"

Without waiting to see if Rainheart would answer, the RiverClan tom took off towards his own Clanmates.

Rainheart heard a distinct laughter behind him and turned around to glare at Gorsepaw. "What?" he asked, ears burning.

"He's chatty!" Gorsepaw chuckled, eyes alight. "Although he certainly seems friendly!"

"That's just Gravelstone," Rainheart answered nonchalantly, waving his tail as if dismissing the notion. "He seems to be under the impression that we're friends."

"Aww, I thought we were," Gorsepaw joked with a wink. But then she continued on seriously. "That just means you'll be able to easier kick his butt in battle."

Rainheart tilted his head uncomfortably. "I don't know…Gravelstone seems to friendly to want to fight."

"Then he should have been a medicine cat," she countered easily. "Seriously, battle and fighting is just a part of warrior life. He'll have to get over it if he wants to honestly serve his Clan."

"Yeah," Rainheart agreed. "You're right."

Gorsepaw smiled again in laughter. "Just don't let that friendship get in the way when we have to fight them!"

"Don't worry," he said, smiling back at her and breathing in her sharp thistle scent. "I won't."


	27. Chapter 25

Oh my gosh I'm sorry this is a day late guys! I had a LONG day yesterday. Today too. But I didn't realize until I was messaged about it. I'm so sorry. Here's the update. Please feel free to comment me reminders!

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For the longest time after that it didn't rain. Two moons, in fact, without a single drop but the morning mist. When the natural puddles around the camp dried up, warriors had to add water stops on their daily patrols, using moss to soak up water and carry it back for the kits and elders.

Everyone suffered, but Galecoal in particular had a really hard time. Although she had survived her initial injury, her life took a definite downward turn after the fire. Her throat was always in a state of being sore, and she couldn't talk anymore. She wheezed after even the barest exercise and struggled to swallow food. Auburnmist made it easier for her by giving her honey to soothe her throat, which worked to help get food down easier. Especially if she had water to chug afterwards, and poppy seeds to help with the pain.

However once the natural trickles of water in Auburnmist's den dried up during the drought, Galecoal's burning thirst could not wait on the water patrols.

Rainheart made sure to bring her water soaked moss every morning, knowing she'd get another by sunset. Galecoal had always been incredibly crabby, but Rainheart found himself missing her sharp retorts. In a way, he felt as though he'd lost her too, even though she was right in front of him. It was just sad.

Still, with all the water her brought her, it wasn't enough.

"Why doesn't she come live in my barn with me?" Marjorie asked one day, with at least two of her kits crawling over her. "We have plenty of water there, and the Twolegs make sure to bring us some if it ever gets dry like this."

Marjorie had been talking of returning to her barn a lot lately. No one in the Clan expected her to stay once the kits were apprenticed. But for her to suggest an _elder_ go live there was quite…bold of her.

The barncat seemed to realize she had said something wrong. "At least until it rains again. She's gonna die without water."

"She'll get by," Owlflight answered, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "The Clan will look after her. But even so, knowing Galecoal, she'd rather die of lack of water than go be with any Twolegs!"

"That's silly," Marjorie exclaimed, looking baffled. "Why willingly die to uphold some imagined pride when you could, you know, survive?" Rainheart cocked a brow at her, surprised by her 'imagined pride' comment the most.

"It's not imagined," Pale-eyes explained calmly. "It takes a lot of work being born and raised in a Clan, as you can tell. Any cat would be proud of there heritage if it had such a legacy attached."

"Right," she meowed uncertainly. "But still. My barn could hold your whole Clan easily. Probably more than your whole Clan," she added, looking around thoughtfully.

"Where is your barn, mommy?" Flutterkit asked, looking up at her mother with an expression of excitement. Of all three of the kits, Flutterkit looked like their mother the most.

"Yeah?" Blossomkit added. "Can we see it?"

Marjorie perked up instantly. "Sure we can! Why don't we all go? You can see where your mommy is from and if you like it you might decide to stay there."

"Kits are not supposed to leave the camp," Owlflight inserted quickly. Rainheart could detect his discomfort at the idea in every iota of his being. "Sorry kits. You can go see it just yet."

"That's okay," Bubblekit said.

"We'll all go see it when we're warriors, right mommy?" Flutterkit added.

Before she could answer, Maizestar's call came from the area of the Tallrock. Looking very harassed, Marjorie began to hasten the kits towards the nursery. "Come on girls. Let's go take a nap."

Rainheart chuckled at their collective disappointed moans. "What's so funny?" a voice said in his ear. He whirled around to look at Gorsepaw, but only shook his head in answer.

"The Clan is facing a new crisis," Maizestar began without preamble. Without rain, the territory is drying up. We're running out of water."

"We still have the river," Nightspots commented.

"No," Maizestar said slowly. "The river is drying up."

Somehow the impact of what he was saying didn't hit Rainheart right away. How could the _river_ dry up? It wasn't like the trickles in Auburnmist's den, or the natural pools around the territory. The river was _huge_ , and had always been a constant source of water for the Clans. Rainheart just couldn't imagine it drying away.

"What do we do?" asked Pushleaf dejectedly. "We don't have any other source of water."

For once, Maizestar didn't seem to have an answer. Instead he tilted his head, listening.

"We should send a patrol to get water," Pineclaw suggested. "There have to be other sources."

Sedgeclaw shook her head. "That'll take too long."

"Maybe there's another way," Tigerpaw said suddenly. Rainheart had to do a double take. Ever since he'd been left as an apprentice with Flamethistle and Brightwillow were made warriors, the surly tom had barely spoken three words. Now here he was, speaking at a Clan meeting with the confidence of a warrior.

"Go on," Smilecloud encouraged. "Tell us."

Tigerpaw nodded and continued, "Maybe instead of going to fetch water, we should block the river."

"How is that going to solve our problem, exactly?" Adderclaw asked. "Won't that make the water stop?"

"Yeah," Tigerpaw said. "But if we do it farther down enough on the water, it'll pool up on our territory."

Mouseleap jumped up. "That's a great idea!" she said. "We should send a patrol to do that."

"Let Maizestar decide," Adderclaw chastised, although Mouseleap didn't look offended by the older warrior's snappy tone.

Maizestar bowed his head, eyes closed as if he were truly thinking about it. "It could be worth our time," Wolfmask said slowly, looking at his leader carefully.

"And our valuable resources?" Hollypool asked, padding forward to sit next to Adderclaw. "How many of our warriors will it take?"

"A small daytime patrol to check it out couldn't hurt," Bluedapple countered. "At least we could say we tried."

"Right," Maizestar said at last, lifting his head. "I think, given the unique situation, it would do more good than bad to send a small patrol to check out the situation. If they think they can block the river enough to create a pool, then they can get to work on that. If not, they can return to regular duties."

The leader looked out over his warriors, his eyes crinkled in thought. "Wolfmask, take Patchcloud, Owlflight, Rainheart, and Tigerpaw."

Rainheart jumped at the sound of his name. "Me?" he wondered aloud. Beside him, Gorsepaw gasped in delight.

"You're going on the water patrol! I'm so jealous."

"Everyone rest up now," Maizestar ordered. "Tomorrow, you set out at dawn."


	28. Chapter 26

Hi everybody! I'm actually updating on time for once haha I've gotten several questions and feedback. First off, yes I actually intend on keeping up with the update schedule. That is, every Monday should be an update. I will let you all know on my twitter (talaleisu2) if I'm not updating. That means if I don't post on twitter and I haven't updated, I've been too busy or forgotten, which happens. Somebody asked me why Pearlshine died in the fire. You all must know that I've planned on her dying in fire since the very beginning, when this story was still in its development phase. That was planned all along. It wasn't random. That among other things ;) Now another question I've gotten, well more of a critique, is that y chapters seem like filler. So I get these stories from a forum where I rp with others. A lot of this stuff comes from there. This IS Rainheart's life. If you think it's filler then whatever, this is what we did and it was part of the story. So yeah! Enjoy this latest update and keep the reviews coming!

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To Rainheart, 'dawn' meant when the sun came across the horizon. Apparently the word meant a totally different time to their deputy.

"Rainheart," Patchcloud nudged him. "Get up. It's time to go."

"What?" he asked, sitting up. "It's still dark out!"

The senior warrior stared at him in bemusement. "Now, Wolfmask says."

Groaning, the young warrior rolled over, stretching his paws out in front of him and opening his jaws in an enormous yawn. It wasn't entirely unlike Wolfmask to start work earlier than he'd said, but never before had he asked them to start difficult work before sunrise. Only those on the dawn patrol ever got up this early.

The gray dawn light reminded Rainheart of the time he and Mouseleap had gone to visit Marjorie at her barn. What a stupid idea that'd been. But Rainheart had at the time been consumed with the thought of finding out who his father was. Then, he'd been so certain it was an outsider that he'd been willing to risk getting in a lot of trouble just to find out anything at all.

Now Rainheart was almost certain that his father was in the Clan. Bluedapple would not have gone outside the Clan, given the severity of the crime already.

Rainheart cast a glance at their deputy. He couldn't see much of him in the darkness, but his outline was clear against the starry sky. Was the rugged tom his real father? Would Wolfmask know if he was?

The dark tabby certainly wasn't giving any indications in that instant. He looked around his small patrol, his amber eyes almost glowing in the darkness. Everybody pretty much already there. Owlflight was washing himself next to where Tigerpaw sat, looking distinctly tired.

"Here we are," Patchcloud said, trotting up to join them. Rainheart followed closely on her tail.

"Good," Wolfmask said. "Then let's get going."

They set out together, with Wolfmask in the lead. The first hint of the sun came in the sky: a tinge of gray along the horizon. It wasn't much, but with Rainheart's eyes adjusted to the darkness, it made a whole difference in what he could and could not see. Owlflight had a patch of fur sticking up behind his ear that he'd missed in his wash.

"So Tigerpaw," the black-furred warrior commented to the apprentice. "When is your next assessment?"

Tigerpaw only shrugged. "I'm set to take them with Cloudpaw coming up here soon," he grumbled. "We don't know when exactly, though."

"I can't believe they're almost warriors," Owlflight admitted with a sigh. His amber eyes flashed against the pale sky. "I bet you're looking forward to it, eh Rainheart?"

Rainheart blinked, perplexed by this assumption. "Why would I be?"

"Cause Gorsepaw will be a warrior," Owlflight explained as if it was obvious. Rainheart just shook his head, still confused. "Oh come on, everyone sees the way you look at her."

It took Tigerpaw snickering for Rainheart to clue in. "What? Oh no! We're just friends."

"Yeah for _now_ ," Owlflight answered. There was a definite chuckle in his voice now. "But when she becomes a warrior…"

"You two will have the cutest kits," Patchcloud enthused. "And probably the most rambunctious."

"I wonder how many rules they'll break," Tigerpaw joined in with laughter. "Given their heritage, I'll bet it'll be a lot!"

"Enough," Wolfmask interrupted, looking back with his face silhouetted against the rising sun. "Let's concentrate on our mission."

The patrol carried on down the glade towards the river. From there they turned to go downriver, following the flowing water. Maizestar had been right. The once strong beast of water was now little more than a trickle.

Aside from the fact that Rainheart had no idea what they were actually looking for, he had a hard time participating on his task. His mind was elsewhere. His Clanmates seemed to think of him and Gorsepaw as an item of sorts. Were they? The others certainly seemed to think so. It was crazy thinking. Sure, she was pretty, and her energy was contagious sometimes, but that didn't mean they had _those_ kind of feelings for each other.

Didn't it?

If he was honest with himself, Rainheart had to admit that he did like her. Who wouldn't? She was likeable. His paws tingled as he thought about her thistle-scent, his fur ruffled when he thought of her sharp amber eyes on him. She left him breathless.

But there was no way she felt the same way. No way.

"This seems promising," Wolfmask said suddenly, breaking Rainheart out his reverie. He shook his head guiltily, trying to get the image of Gorsepaw out his head.

They had reached a small level part of the bank. On the other side was a tumble of rocks, some twice as big as Rainheart. If they were moved into the water, they would most definitely block the river.

"So what do we do?" asked Patchcloud. "Move those rocks into the flow of water?"

"That seems…impossible," Tigerpaw added.

Wolfmask groaned, "Look, let's just try it out. This can work. I believe that. But it's not going to be without effort."

And so they set to work. They started by setting out the base to their new dam. The rocks were heavier than expected. Even the smaller once were about twice the weight of an average cat. It took two of them pushing and pulling to get just one of them in place.

Altogether it was slow-going. By the end of the day, they had only half the amount of work done, all five cats were exhausted and soaked through their fur.

But it was working. Already they had backed up a sizable amount of water. The levels rose, falling over the edge of the dam base in a small waterfall.

"That's enough for today," Wolfmask announced breathlessly as the sun began to cross the horizon into night. "Let's go back for now."

"But we're not done," Patchcloud shot back. "This won't be enough water."

Wolfmask shot her a glance. "Of course not. We'll have to come back tomorrow."

Rainheart joined her in groaning. He was already in a world of pain from the work they'd done today. Let alone having to come back and do even more tomorrow. Not to mention the rocks they were moving tomorrow were small boulders. It was going to be pretty difficult.


	29. Chapter 27

Hi everybody! Thanks for your review and keep 'em coming! I'll have you know I proudly finished writing the last chapter of the first half of this story today. It was incredibly satisfying. Can't wait for you all to read it!

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Rainheart had barely lain down to sleep when he awoke again. After moving all those rocks, his body hurt in ways he didn't know it could. Now, he was in even worse pain than he'd ever been in his life.

He was in the dirtplace for most of the night. What little he'd managed to eat during his long work day came back up in a harsh way. When he finally crawled back into his nest, around the time that he figured Wolfmask would be wanting to wake him up, he was tired, achy, and he couldn't get comfortable. His chest began to ache as the sun rose, and he feel too warm and constricted in his nest.

"Rainheart," Patchcloud's voice said next to his ear. "Time to get…going…" She trailed off, sniffing him carefully. He felt her paw nudge his shoulder. "Oh no," she breathed, then before Rainheart knew what was happening she was gone again.

Suddenly there was a lot of commotion around Rainheart. He lifted his head to get a blurry look around just in time to see Patchcloud's tail disappear out the entrance to the warriors den. He could still hear her though.

"Auburnmist, come quickly!"

"What's going on?" Mouseleap asked from beside him. He felt her blue eyes on him in the darkness. "Are you sick?"

Rainheart didn't answer, but groaned and laid his throbbing head back down. He heard the gorse at the entrance to the den swish. Auburnmist's scent wreathed around him. The medicine cat sniffed him carefully, her paws running down his spine first, then resting on his stomach. He groaned, shifting uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, Rainheart," she breathed in his ear. "I know it's not the best feeling, but I have to feel your stomach."

By now, other warriors were waking up. "What's going on?" Nightspots asked nervously.

"Is Rainheart okay?" Brightwillow asked.

Bluedapple's voice, louder than the others, gave a command, "Give her space. Let her figure this out." Although he could hear her own worry even as she gave the order.

Finally, Auburnmist stepped back. "Rainheart is sick."

"Oh no!" Forestheart said, sounding scared. "What with?"

Auburnmist answered uncertainly, "I don't know. As far as I can tell, he has the same illness that we've been battling since before. But this is…different. Not like the others."

"Different how?" Bluedapple asked. "Is it worse?"

"I don't know about worse," Auburnmist said. "Just…different."

"Can you cure him, like you did Pale-eyes?" Pineclaw asked.

"Maybe," she answered. "I'll have to move him to my den, just to be sure."

"What about the patrol?" Owlflight asked. "We need him."

"I'll go," Mouseleap volunteered. "I'll help you finish the dam."

With that, Rainheart grudgingly moved to the medicine den, leaning heavily on Auburnmist for support. He felt bad, but she did not seem at all squeamish about it. "Here you go," she breathed, helping him into a spare nest. "Wait here. I'm going to get you some medicine."

Rainheart looked around her den. He had only been in here once before, and that was for just long enough to get checked. And that was before the fire. He'd never really looked around before.

The overarching ferns were placed against a slit in a rock, just big enough for a cat. This, presumably, was where Auburnmist disappeared to. Across from him was another nest. Galecoal was still asleep in it.

"Rainheart!" called a familiar voice. He turned his head to see Gorsepaw burst into the den, eyes wide with worry. "Rainheart! Are you okay?"

Looking at her expression it was hard to believe that Gorsepaw didn't _like_ him like him. Nobody looked like that about a cat they didn't care about.

Auburnmist came out of her den, a leaf-wrapped bundle of herbs in her jaw. She set them down carefully, looking at Gorsepaw warningly. "Stay back," she ordered. "Rainheart is sick."

Gorsepaw looked frantically from the medicine cat back to Rainheart in his nest. "I have to help! Is he gonna be okay?"

"He'll be fine if I have anything to say about it," the medicine cat said sternly. "But if you want to help, why don't you go to the river and get a mossball of water for him?"

"Okay," the apprentice said, nodding determinedly. Then her eyes flashed to Rainheart. "I'll bring you the biggest most soaked mossball ever." Without waiting for a response, she turned and disappeared out of the den.

"Now take these in this order," Auburnmist said, unraveling the leaf to reveal a sizable pile of berries. "Start with these two and work your way to this edge. They won't taste the best, but they'll make you feel better."

Moaning in pain, Rainheart sat up enough to lick up each medicine as she instructed, swallowing the poppy seeds whole and sucking the juice out of some odd stem. She was right. They tasted foul. But their effects were immediate, especially the poppy seeds.

He had a hard time keeping his eyes open for Gorsepaw's return. Instead he laid down, snoozing a little as he waited. His throat hurt from thirst, and it distracted him enough from slipping into dreams.

The ferns brushed and Gorsepaw's scent filled the den. "Here," she breathed, nudging him. "Rainheart." He sat up, thankfully tightening his jaws around the moss and squeezing the water down his throat. It tasted like mud but he didn't care. The coolness was enough to soothe him. Gorsepaw nudged him back into his nest. "Don't get up," she murmured. "Anything you need, I'm here."

…

Rainheart slept most of the day, only getting up once to go back to the dirtplace. This time was not nearly as violent as the previous times. In fact, for what it was worth, Auburnmist's medicines did seem to be working. He didn't feel pain anymore if he laid still enough. Just tired.

He had a constant stream of visitors despite wanting to get some rest. Bluedapple came to check on him around sunhigh, checking him for a fever again and asking if Auburnmist had given him feverfew. Gorsepaw brought him prey, but he had a hard time eating more than a bite. It was okay. Her presence was enough.

Then of course Auburnmist was there organizing herbs and chasing concerned Clanmates away. Galecoal was also there, laying in her nest with her sharp eyes gazing at him the entire time. Rainheart stopped wondering when she would next blink after a while.

Even Maizestar stopped in to check on him. "I need to know what the chances of this spreading are," he said.

"Very little," Auburnmist answered him assuredly. "He didn't have prolonged contact with others and the medicine seems to be working. I'm guessing he'll be better in a few days."

"Good," the Clan leader said. His eyes rested on Rainheart with what seemed to be pity? Worry? Rainheart couldn't tell in his tired state.

He was drifting between awake and asleep when Sedgeclaw came by. He could tell by her scent. But she didn't come in or say anything. She just stood there and tore her claws in the dirt by the sound of it.

"What are you doing here?" Auburnmist asked. "Do you need something."

"I was wondering if you could do a checkup," Sedgeclaw admitted. Her voice sounded strained. "I've been feeling kind of weird lately."

"Weird in what way?" Auburnmist asked. Rainheart could hear her fir swishing as she moved to check the brown tabby.

When she answered, Sedgeclaw sounded weary. "My stomach has been hurting a lot. I get real queasy when I eat certain prey. And my stomach feels…strange. Tough. I'm not sure."

"Roll over," the medicine cat ordered. "I need to be able to look at your stomach."

The grass crinkled as Sedgeclaw complied. After a few moments the medicine cat gasped. "What is it?" Sedgeclaw asked worriedly. "Am I sick?"

"No," Auburnmist answered with a tinge of delight to her mew. "You're not sick. You're expecting kits."

 _Another one?_ Rainheart thought to himself.

Sedgeclaw's breath momentarily seemed to stop. "I am?" she asked breathlessly.

"You are," Auburnmist said. "Now you'll be okay to continue your warrior duties for a little while yet, but you should consider only doing easier tasks. If you feel weary stop. You don't want to overexert yourself and I am reluctant to give you strengthening herbs when you have kits in you. You might also want to take a nest in the nursery sooner rather than later. Do you know who the father is?"

As if she wouldn't. Auburnmist was asking because she wanted to know who the father was.

Sedgeclaw seemed to hesitate. "Yes," she admitted at last. "Maizestar is the father."

There was a resounding silence to her response. Rainheart was stunned himself. Somehow he hadn't thought of Maizestar fathering kits before. The Clan leader somehow seemed…disconnected from the rest of the Clan. Like he was almost a separate entity.

Auburnmist seemed to feel the same surprise that Rainheart did. "Wow. I'll be sure to congratulate him."

"Please," Sedgeclaw said. "Let me tell him."

"Of course," Auburnmist answered.

…

The Clan was abuzz when the dam patrol came back. Rainheart could hear them talking from his nest in the medicine den, although he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Hey," said a friendly voice. Rainheart looked up. His stomach hurt a lot less after a day of resting. Even so, his body ached in ways he didn't think possible. It hurt a lot more than he'd hurt before.

Gorsepaw was standing in the entrance. He'd kind of been hoping Mouseleap would come and see him when she returned. Still, he wasn't disappointed at the sight of the brown tabby yet again.

"What's up?" he asked, stretching his front paws out and rolling over to a more comfortable position. His stomach protested and he immediately switched back.

"The dam patrol is back," Gorsepaw told him. "Apparently, Tigerpaw fought off a dog. So Maizestar is going to give him his warrior name."

"Oh really?" Rainheart asked. "I thought Tigerpaw was going to do his assessment with Cloudpaw."

Gorsepaw shrugged. "I guess they thought it wasn't necessary anymore."

"That's true," Rainheart said. "He's been waiting for this for a long time." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Maybe if I'm feeling well enough, I can do the assessment with Cloudpaw instead."

He looked up when Gorsepaw didn't answer. Her tail swished against the dusty floor of the den. "I think they're going to postpone it, actually," she admitted. "They don't want to do too many ceremonies at once."

Rainheart sat up. "But that's not fair. If you're ready for your assessment you're ready. Who cares how many ceremonies happen at the same time?"

Gorsepaw only shrugged in answer.

"Well don't worry," he said, sounding more confident than he felt. He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say. "You're going to make a great warrior one day, even if it isn't today."

The brown apprentice smiled warmly at his words. "Thanks Rainheart. I appreciate that." She paused, looking him up and down in concern. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, actually," he said, laying back down in his nest. "Not great, but definitely better."

"Good enough to eat?" Her eyes twinkled in concern.

"Sure," he said uncertainly.

She returned a little later, Mouseleap in tow. "Hey brother," Mouseleap greeted him warmly. "I heard you were feeling better."

"Yeah," he admitted. "But Auburnmist wants to keep me for a couple more days yet."

"Naturally," she said, hooking her claws into the plump rabbit that Gorsepaw had brought. "Here, try some of this. WindClan cats are made to eat rabbit. Maybe it will be easier on your stomach."

Rainheart tore a chunk off gratefully, nibbling at it. He winced at the feeling of protest in his stomach. He pushed the chunk away with a grimace. "I don't know. I think it's a trap."

Gorsepaw laughed. "It's a trap?" she echoed. Mouseleap took a much more serious attitude. She scraped dirt over his discarded piece, a slight grimace on her face.

She looked up and saw the others staring at her. "Just to be safe," she muttered, as if to explain herself.

The she-cats continued eating, and Rainheart was glad to have visitors, but his stomach was starting to hurt again, and he really wanted to lay down and sleep some more. He blinked, holding his stomach by sheer concentration alone.

Mouseleap was looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "So Tigerwhisker got his warrior name," she said conversationally.

"Did he?" Rainheart grunted. It was unlike Mouseleap to make small talk. Maybe she was trying to distract him from barfing again.

"He did," she continued on as if not realizing Rainheart's predicament. "Wolfmask said he went above and beyond for the dam, but personally I think he was being nice. He didn't work any harder than the rest of us."

"Well it _was_ his idea," Gorsepaw said, picking at the remains of the rabbit.

"I guess," Mouseleap said with a shrug. There was a long awkward silence following, where Rainheart wished he were asleep. Finally his sister stood up. "I'm gonna go rest," she said. "It's been a long day. Glad you're feeling better Rainheart." Then she was gone.

Gorsepaw looked up at him. "I'm sorry you're not doing great. I'll bring you water later if you like."

"Thank you," he answered. "I'd very much appreciate that."

She got to her feet. "Okay. I'll be back by sunset. Sleep now."

Rainheart had faded out by the time she left the den. The last image seared into his brain was her silhouette against the sun.


	30. Chapter 28

Sorry again for the late update! There's been a mixup this past week with work schedule, and I had to work shifts a little out of order, so I didn't even realize yesterday was Monday and thought today was Monday! My bad. Anyway next week there will be no update because I am going camping with my fiancé! 3 but don't worry, I am so far ahead in writing that there shouldn't be anymore delays after that. :) Enjoy the read and feel free to keep leaving reviews!

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It took quite some time before Auburnmist was willing to put Rainheart back on warrior duties. She also wouldn't let him sleep with the other warriors, but what with how quickly the sickness had spread last time, Rainheart didn't blame her.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I don't feel sick at all."

"Be that as it may," Auburnmist said. "I can't risk infecting the other warriors."

"They risk infection anyway. Come on, just one patrol?"

"No."

And so it went on.

Rainheart managed to convince her to allow him some guard duty time. Nothing strenuous. Something other than laying around all day.

Guarding the camp from within was interesting though. Rainheart learned more about his Clanmates this way than he did based on what they talked about. For instance, it was clear that Hawkfall and Leopardstripe were in some kind of relationship together. It wasn't entirely obvious on the surface, but the looks they shared, and the awkward moments together when they thought they were alone was enough to convince Rainheart.

He watched as Skypaw trotted towards the entrance, waiting behind Shallowpaw and Grasspaw as they stood behind their mentors, Nightspots and Runningstorm respectively. It was their first day out of camp, and in their excitement they were crowding the entrance.

"Going to show them the best moss collecting techniques?" Rainheart joked to her.

Skypaw rolled her eyes. "I wish I was on their patrol. Not that I have anything against doing the elders' bedding but Thorntooth is in one of his moods."

It had recently become a known thing in the Clan when Thorntooth had his episodes. It was like the old cat wasn't himself anymore. Well unless you counted the aggressive old bat he became when Rainheart was still a kit. He was often angry, and quite apathetic despite his fiery temper. Another thing was he didn't seem to remember where or rather when he was. He sometimes didn't recognize his kits at all, except for Gorsepaw. And when he did talk to his brown tabby daughter, he referred to her as Cloverleaf. Auburnmist had no idea what was wrong with him, or how to administer herbs for it. Bluedapple said that sometimes grief did things to older cats, and that the mind could be more injured than the body at points, but otherwise did not offer any advice.

"Sorry," Rainheart offered sincerely. "I could help if you want."

"Don't bother," Skypaw replied. "I'd hate to see his reaction if he saw you…" The she-cat winced. Despite his memory problems, Thorntooth had no trouble recognizing Rainheart or Mouseleap. Especially Rainheart. He often got angry and started screaming nonsensically whenever he did come across them. It had become most annoying to have to avoid him at all times.

"Well good luck," Rainheart said. He tried not to show how disheartened he was in his demeanor. The she-cat flicked her tail in answer and disappeared out the gorse tunnel.

Bluedapple was walking across the campus, clearly headed towards the apprentices' den, presumably to get Cloudpaw for a tunneling patrol. Since his mentor had moved to the nursery, his training had been picked up by the tunnelers in their need for experienced warriors to patrol the underground depths.

At the moment the ex-medicine cat stepped past the nursery, Sedgeclaw came out of it. Both she-cat halted, facing one another. For a brief moment, the brown warrior's eyes shined in greeting, but then her expression faltered. Rainheart had never seen such a look of cold indifference emanating from his mother before. Bluedapple had only ever shown quiet concern for her Clanmates. But this…this had to be more than some small transgression. Had the two she-cats quarreled lately? Sedgeclaw's look of befuddlement said not.

Thankfully Skypaw's muffled, "Excuse me!" as she shuffled between the she-cats with the biggest wad of moss Rainheart had ever seen seemed to break the tension. Bluedapple's gaze softened.

"Let me help you build your nest," she said quietly. Sedgeclaw murmured something Rainheart couldn't hear in response. It must have been some kind of agreement though, because both she-cats padded off together, all signs of animosity between them evaporated.

What a confusing encounter! Rainheart couldn't recall any hostility between the she-cats before. In fact, Bluedapple and Sedgeclaw had only ever been pleasant toward one another that Rainheart had seen. Had he imagined the tension there?

Rainheart was still contemplating the meeting when a yowl sounded from the entrance. He rose to his feet, hackles rising in discomfort as Shallowpaw and Grasspaw entered the camp, followed by two cats Rainheart had never seen before, though their scent on the breeze said they were of SkyClan. Behind them came Runningstorm and Nightspots, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

The first cat was a broad-shouldered tom, covered in thick completely black fur. His eyes were yellow and wide, taking in everything at once. He was big for a SkyClan kit, and with his long fur looked easily twice the size of an average cat.

The tom was interesting, but he was far overshadowed by the she-cat with him. Her appearance was bizarre, there was no other word for it. She was a tortoiseshell calico, with white patches. Her face was half brown, with an amber eye there, the other half ginger with a green eye there. The look was quite striking if you were unprepared for it, and Rainheart was definitely not prepared.

Wolfmask padded forward, head tall. "Burntheart," he greeted. "Holiday. What are you doing in our camp?"

The she-cat stepped forward, coat fluffed out in obvious frustration. "None of your business!" she spat. "We'll talk to Maizestar and Maizestar only."

"Maizestar is on patrol," Wolfmask said coolly. Rainheart had watched his leader taking Stainpaw out earlier that morning. "I'm in charge here. So I repeat, why are you in our camp?"

The tom- Burntheart presumably –touched the she-cat's shoulder gently with his tail. It seemed to have little calming effect. "Peace," the tom murmured. Then he stepped forward. "We're just passing through, Wolfmask."

"Where to?" the deputy asked, raising his head slightly.

"Our destination is our own business," Burntheart said evenly. "We will refrain from hunting on your territory while we're here. But we hope to be out of your markers by moonrise."

Wolfmask hesitated, padding forward. "I know you are the son of Tanglestar," he said, sniffing carefully at the black-furred tom. "And you used to be a kittypet," he added with slight scorn to the she-cat. Holiday bared her teeth. "You can't be headed for the Moonstone. So why should we grant you passage through our territory?"

"You wouldn't want to cause strife between our Clans, would you?" Burntheart answered, so quietly Rainheart had to strain to hear him. "What would our father say if you turned us back? Or our deputy if you attacked his mate?"

"Deputies and leaders should not show favorites among their Clanmates," Wolfmask shot back. "However, I do not feel it worthy to start a fight."

Holiday looked quite smug. "Good choice," she said snidely.

Wolfmask lashed his tail. "You will wait here for Maizestar to return," the deputy said, wiping the superior look of the she-cat's face. "You can explain yourselves to him, and he can decide."

Burntheart stepped forward, looking almost alarmed. "Wolfmask," he called the deputy back. Then he murmured something so quiet that Rainheart couldn't hear it.

"I understand," Wolfmask said, just loud enough for Rainheart to overhear. "But we have to wait for Maizestar nonetheless."

With that, the deputy walked away.

Rainheart padded over to where he saw Mouseleap standing. "Who're are they?" he asked, looking at the two SkyClan cats. They were sitting close enough for the pelts to be touching, however they weren't looking at one another. In fact, it appeared to be communicating in any way.

"Burntheart's a fairly young warrior," Mouseleap answered instantly. "Morningrise told me at a Gathering that he's Tanglestar's son, but no one ever knew who his mother was."

"What?" Rainheart asked, looking at her confused. "How is that even possible? Wouldn't it be obvious who his mother is?"

Mouseleap shrugged. "Apparently not. Nobody knows. At least not that Morningrise had said."

"Okay," Rainheart said dismissively. "But what about the she-cat?"

"That's Holiday," Mouseleap whispered. "I've seen her at Gatherings myself. She used to be a kittypet, but you'd never know it looking at her. Apparently she left Twolegplace when she met Falconblaze and hasn't looked back. Became quite a fierce warrior too, but refused to give up her name."

Rainheart shook his head. "Why not? Holiday is such a stupid name."

"It's what she grew up with," Mouseleap answered simply. "She didn't want to change it. She's _that_ bold."

The day progressed both much too quickly and way too slowly. Wolfmask had Heatherpaw offer the two strangers a mouse each, which they deftly refused.

It wasn't until around Sunhigh that Maizestar returned, leading his apprentice along behind him. The leader didn't so much as hesitate, just walking in and padding straight towards the two SkyClan warriors as if he'd known they were there all along.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"We were waiting for your permission to cross your territory," Burntheart said without preamble.

"To the Moonstone?" Maizestar asked quizzically, tilting his head.

"No," Burntheart said. "We are on a mission for Tanglestar. We are instructed not to talk about it."

Maizestar's ears went back in surprise. "Of course," he said. "I wouldn't want to pry into another Clan's business."

Burntheart shifted uncomfortably. "We were hoping to just pass through. We don't want your food. May we pass?"

"Of course," the leader answered instantly. "I will have Wolfmask arrange a patrol to escort you."

"We don't need an escort!" spat Holiday.

"It's to see you off our land," he retorted sharply. "And make sure you're gone."

The SkyClan warriors exchanged a look, but did not argue anymore.

Wolfmask called out to the listening warriors, "I'll take Crowswoop, Leapwind, and Echospring with me."

Seeing his opportunity, Rainheart stepped forward. "I'd like to come along," he volunteered.

To his surprise, Wolfmask didn't order him back to the medicine den. "Fine," he said. "Bring Gougepaw with you."

Rainheart nodded and went to fetch the apprentice from where he was crouched over a sparrow outside the apprentice's den. "You're to come on the patrol with us," Rainheart told him gruffly.

Huffing softly, the mottled black apprentice got to his feet. "I'm coming," he grumbled. Rainheart waved his tail and lead the way over to where the patrol was gathered, waiting.

Wolfmask took the lead, while Leapwind fell behind. Echospring and Crowswoop oriented themselves on either side of the SkyClan cats. Gougepaw padded forward to join Echospring while Rainheart stayed back to pad alongside Leapwind.

Honestly Rainheart was just glad to be out of camp for once, even with the mystery of the SkyClan cat's mission. It was great to stretch his leg after two moons of being held back by Auburnmist, even if it was for a good cause.

The deputy set a brisk pace for the journey. Rainheart was willing to bet that he was hoping to beat the setting sun and return to camp before dark. It didn't matter to the restless warrior. As long as he got to travel, it was fine.

They saw the patrol off at their farthest border, heading towards Highrocks. "When will you come back?" Wolfmask asked lightly as the two SkyClan warriors crossed the border. They exchanged a long look, eyes guarded.

"We do not know," Burntheart answered at last. "But when we do, we will cross quickly through your territory, not stopping to hunt. Like today."

"Feel free to stop in camp and say hello," Wolfmask said, eyes glittering in the setting sun. "I'm sure Maizestar would like to pass word along to Tanglestar."

Burntheart did not answer, but his eyes darkened perceptibly as he turned away. The two cats padded onward, passing through tall fronds and disappearing from view. Wolfmask waited until they were sure the patrol was gone before turning back.


	31. Chapter 29

Hey guys! Back with a new chapter update! Thank you all for your patience and please feel free to review! :)

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Rainheart slept soundly his first night back in the warriors' den. It was probably the deepest sleep he ever had, despite the sounds of the others which might ordinarily have kept him awake. The slight snores, the rustling of bedding, and the pawsteps as cats came and went for guard duty and some to the dirtplace. None of it bothered Rainheart though. He was too tired and relaxed to care.

While he was not assigned to the dawn patrol, he woke up in plenty of time for it. This was a first, as Rainheart was usually a heavy morning sleeper. However today he was awake before the sun had risen, stretching his front legs out and yawning hugely.

"Are you joining our patrol?" Leapwind asked him politely, eyes shining in the pre-dawn light.

"I can if you like," Rainheart answered. "I'm certainly ready to go!"

"You should ask Wolfmask," Tigerwhisker grumbled, padding forward. "The older apprentices are doing their assessments today, and I think Echospring needs help with Cloudpaw's partner hunting."

Leapwind tilted her head. "I thought he was doing it with Skypaw."

"Yeah, but they're doing a partner hunting that requires three partners. I know Gorsepaw and Stainpaw are doing some aboveground work, but Cloudpaw and Skypaw need another moor-runner for theirs."

"Well that's not til later in the day anyway," Leapwind added hurriedly. "You can join our patrol if you want. It's just the two of us today, so we could use some extra paws."

"Only the two of you?" Rainheart asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Forestheart has an infected claw and the others are needed on other patrols. So here we are."

Rainheart paused, turning to look around the camp before they left. Movement outside the apprentices' den caught his eye as Skypaw and Gorsepaw squeezed out of it. He flicked his tail in greeting, wishing to call her a quick 'good luck!', but Leapwind and Tigerwhisker had already exited the camp entrance, and Rainheart did not want to keep them waiting.

The entire patrol, Rainheart could only think about what was happening back at camp. Surely the mentors would be up by now. Definitely the apprentices. They were probably leaving the camp and headed to the training hollow to receive instructions. He wondered what assignment they'd give her first. Would Gorsepaw pass the first test? Would she be able to see enough from the sitting rock?

When they finished marking the RiverClan border, Leapwind insisted they do the ShadowClan border as well. Rainheart wanted to grown aloud, but stopped himself at the last second.

The sun was well above the horizon by the time they got back to camp. Rainheart's eyes scanned the milling cats immediately, hoping to see her among them, but not finding her brown pelt anywhere. Flamethistle padded over to join them as they sat to eat.

"I know what you're excited about," the orange tabby teased, watching carefully. "You're hoping to see a certain someone get her warrior name today, huh?"

"What?" Rainheart said distractedly, looking over at the striped tom. "Of course I'm excited for her! It's her warrior assessment. I'm sure she's pretty excited herself…" he trailed off, looking around again.

"Right, that's why you're excited," Tigerwhisker chuckled.

"Why else would I be?" he asked without looking.

The other warriors just exchanged a glance. "Let's just say we're expecting there will be more kits real soon," Flamethistle said, eyes gleaming.

Rainheart turned to reply scathingly, his ears burning with embarrassment, but never got the chance.

"Rainheart!" Echospring called, padding up beside him. "I need your help. Can you please help me with Cloudpaw and Skypaw's assessment?"

"Of course," he answered, trying to ignore the chuckles behind him.

The assessment went rather smoothly. Cloudpaw, who had asked to have his training switched to tunneler, was excellent at guiding the rabbit through the underground tunnels to where Skypaw was waiting to make the kill. It was clear they worked as a team, even though they couldn't see each other. And Skypaw's sharpness was a skill unrivaled, even by Rainheart was easily WindClan's fastest runner.

"How did I do?" Cloudpaw asked, padding forward. Rainheart could see his nerves clearly displayed on his face.

"You did really well, both of you," Echospring added, turning to Skypaw as she padded forward with their kill. Rainheart didn't feel put out that he wasn't included in that compliment. After all, his warrior ceremony didn't depend on her answer. "I think that, given your work from this morning and the skills you displayed here, you are both more than ready for your warrior name."

The apprentices turned and shared an excited glance, eyes shining from her compliment.

Rainheart followed the group into camp, tired and hoping for another good night's rest. The sun was just beginning to set, and Rainheart was starting to get hungry again.

"Rainheart!" his favorite voice called. He turned to see Gorsepaw running towards him, tail up and eyes shining. Immediately he knew what she was going to say. "I did it! I passed my final assessment!" Her eyes were practically glowing. Rainheart reached down and smoothed some fur behind her ear with his tongue while she continued boisterously. "Beetlewing says I had the sharpest eyes he's ever seen!"

"Good!" Rainheart said between licks. "I'm so happy for you."

Gorsepaw leaned back, just out of his reach. "Thanks," she said shyly, looking up at him with a smile. Rainheart offered a returning one before the announcement went out.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!"

The wiry brown tabby ran ahead to join her littermates, sitting underneath the Tallrock where Maizestar would give them their names shortly. Rainheart padded forward to sit next to Sparrowrush, watching the ceremony excitedly. He wondered what they'd be named.

"Today we celebrate the end of an apprenticeship," Maizestar began. "As four of our apprentices have passed their final assessments, and are ready to receive their warrior names before StarClan.

"They have suffered losses," Maizestar continued. "They have lost fellow Clanmates, a littermate, and even their own mother. Their apprenticeship was riddled with hardships that many warriors hope to never face in their lifetime. But our apprentices have not let the difficulties they've experienced slow them down, and tonight, we honor that."

He jumped down, padding forward until he stood between the apprentices, facing the Clan. "I, Maizestar, leader of WindClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices, for they have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

He turned, facing Cloudpaw. "Cloudpaw," he said. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life."

"I do," Cloudpaw answered.

"Then, from this moment on, you shall be known as Cloudtuft. We honor your versatility, and your quick-thinking, and we welcome you as a warrior of WindClan!" He touched his nose the warrior's fur, and Cloudtuft licked his shoulder in the traditional response.

Next Maizestar turned to Skypaw. "Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she said, louder and bolder than Rainheart had ever heard her.

"Then, from this moment on, you shall be known as Skycrest. We honor your loyalty and your kindness, and we welcome you as a full member of WindClan!"

After they had completed the traditional shoulder lick and Skycrest had stepped to the side, Maizestar turned to Gorsepaw. Rainheart jumped suddenly as the leader began with her.

"Gorsepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Gorsepaw held her head high, looking vastly different than during her apprentice ceremony. "I do."

"Then, from this moment on, you shall be known as Gorsebreeze. We honor your strength and your boldness, and we welcome you as a warrior of WindClan."

Once she had licked his shoulder, Gorsebreeze stepped aside, looking quite pleased. Rainheart would have expected her to be smug, but instead she looked humbled, happy with all the hard work she had put in, and thankful for the return she was getting from her Clanmates.

Maizestar continued the ceremony with Stainpaw. "Stainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even with the cost of your life?"

"I do," Stainpaw answered. Rainheart thought that was the first time he'd ever heard the other apprentice speak.

"Then, from this moment on, you shall be known as Stainpelt. StarClan honors your bravery and your enterprise, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan!"

As tradition, the Clan began the traditional chanting of the new warriors' names. "Cloudtuft! Skycrest! Gorsebreeze! Stainpelt!"

Rainheart rose to his feet, padding over to where Gorsebreeze was sitting. "Rainheart," Mouseleap said. "She's got to sit her vigil."

"I guess," he said sullenly, dragging his foot across the grass. She was right, of course. But he wanted to congratulate her.

"Don't worry," Mouseleap said lightly. "You'll get to talk with her soon enough."

Rainheart ignored the teasing light in her eyes, and simply turned to look at her. Gorsebreeze was looking around proudly, sitting tall. He couldn't ignore the tingle that went down his spine as he looked at her. There really was no getting around the playful jabs from his Clanmates now. They all probably knew.

But did Gorsebreeze?


	32. Chapter 30

So somebody told me that THIS VERY FIC inspired them to write! I'm so happy that I played a part in your decision, and I hope you're happy with your final work! Remember, the important thing isn't necessarily the fanbase, but that YOU'RE happy with what you write. Fanfictions can be finicky, and people can be harsh. But if you like it, that's what's most important. And thank you all for your continued to support. I look forward to seeing what people say each week, because it's always an adventure! Feel free to review some more :) and enjoy this latest installment of The Scarlet Omen!

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For a while, neither of them said anything to one another about the obvious tension between them. His Clanmates teased him mercilessly about it. He hoped that they didn't tease Gorsebreeze that much, although based on her embarrassed behavior he assumed so.

One cool day, Rainheart was carefully weaving a branch through the nursery, where Cherrykit and Redkit had torn through to try and escape the previous night. "Ouch!" he hissed, withdrawing his paw and sucking on it. There was a thorn embedded in his pad. Cursing at himself, Rainheart ripped the torn straight out of his foot.

"I think you should let a medicine cat do that," chuckled a familiar voice.

"Gorsebreeze!" Rainheart exclaimed in shock and embarrassment. Of course she would walk up to him while he was doing something embarrassing. "I didn't see you there."

"I snuck up on ya," she laughed breezily, her eyes alight with humor. Then, while it didn't lose any of his lightness, a more serious undertone was detectable in her voice. "I was wondering if you might come on a walk with me."

It was just as much a request as it was a demand. Rainheart could sense her shakiness, as if she were nervous. However there was steadiness there too, as if she'd made up her mind about something or was assured she was right. He wondered what kind of lecture he'd be getting.

Together they padded out of camp and up the glade. Rainheart realized after a few pawsteps that they were on the path to Gorsebreeze's favorite spot. It was where they had discussed Pearlshine after her death.

Rainheart's heart pounded in his chest. What on earth could se want to talk about now, after so much time? Was she going to check in on him and see how he was faring after his sister's untimely demise? That couldn't be it. Gorsebreeze was his best friend; she already knew how he was doing.

So it must be something else.

His heart nearly stuttered in his chest when he realized exactly what she was probably hoping to discuss. It was so obvious! How could Rainheart be so stupid? The whole Clan had been talking about them since her warrior ceremony nearly a moon ago. What else was there to talk about?

He sent a quick and silent prayer to StarClan. _Pearlshine, if you're there,_ he pleaded in his head. _Don't let me screw this up!_

That was, if Gorsebreeze actually liked him, too.

They sat down at the edge of the glade, looking over the camp and sprawling territory together. All the things Rainheart wanted to say sored his throat and nerves sealed his lips. There was so much to discuss, but how could he accurately describe the way her scent made his head spin, or the way her sharp eyes made his fur prickle, or the way her mere presence made his heart ache? How could he explain all of that without scaring her?

He had just opened his mouth to speak when Gorsebreeze did for him. "You know when I was a kit, Thorntooth used to tell me all kinds of lies."

Rainheart's stomach dropped. Had she wanted to discuss her ailing father this whole time? Why bring him up here then? "I remember." How could he forget the way he'd been treated when they were still both kits? Those were some of the worst memories of his life.

"He told me so many lies," she repeated, then continued, "About my duty to the Clan, about how so many cats died. He lied about you, you remember? He said you were a horrible cat, responsible for the deaths of so many Clanmates."

She turned her head towards him, eyes unusually bright. "But I don't believe any of that's true! StarClan made you sick, and then cured you, like the did Pale-eyes. They must think very highly of Auburnmist, and highly of you. Otherwise they wouldn't have saved you."

Her eyes swiveled down and then back up, blinking at him shyly. "I- I know the Clan makes fun of us a lot," she admitted, sounding highly flustered. "But I really do think you're a great cat."

Rainheart's heart stopped entirely. "You do?"

"Of course!" Gorsebreeze answered, looking almost shocked. "How could I not? You're smart and funny and- " she cut off, turning her head away.

"Hey," he said, using his tail to pull her attention back to him. He found tenderness in his heart when he saw just how vulnerable she looked. "I think you're great, too! You're funny, and so stubborn. It's how a WindClan cat should be."

"I think it's more than that," she said, unable to meet his gaze. "Rainheart, I think I might be in love with you."

Rainheart froze, staring at her. There were so many words in his head just seconds before, and now it was all gone in a fuzzy haze. Gorsebreeze shifted uncomfortably, leaning away from him.

"So yeah," she muttered, clearly upset. "I guess I'll go now."

"No no!" he exclaimed. "Don't go, just- please," he said abruptly. "Sit with me for a little bit."

"Okay," she replied uncertainly, her voice wavering ever so slightly. Her rear made contact with the dusty rockface, and Rainheart slid closer to her.

"I love you too," he whispered, pressing his side against her.

He heard her exhale, almost a relieved sob but not quite. She leaned her head against his shoulder, a deep purr rumbling in both their throats.


	33. Chapter 31

Hi guys! Sorry for the late update. I have had a ROUGH week. But the good news is I still have time update! Thank you all for your encouragement. I've received a lot of support from readers and fellow writers alike and I have to say, I appreciate every single one of your comments and tweets. It's so uplifting when you're sick with the stomach flu AND moving to get online and see that you're supported, even when you're not on top of your game. I really appreciate it. So I hope you all like this update! And the next will keep coming!

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"Wolfmask!" Rainheart growled, bursting out of the warrior's den with anger blazing in his chest. "I have to talk with you!"

The deputy rose from where he'd been sitting among the senior warriors and padded forward to meet Rainheart at the edge of the camp, near the entrance. "What is it?" he asked. The sheer weariness in his voice made Rainheart pause. However his resentment boiled over before he could give much thought to his old mentor's exhaustion.

"How come Mouseleap is getting an apprentice, but not me?"

"Is that it?" Wolfmask asked, looking annoyed.

Rainheart was taken aback by his response. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "I want to know why my littermate is getting an apprentice before me."

"Because Mouseleap is ready for an apprentice, and you're not," answered Wolfmask simply.

"But we're _littermates_!" Rainheart argued. "We trained at the same rate!"

Wolfmask rose to his full height, which only slightly shorter than Rainheart. "And Mouseleap didn't fall apart after the fire!"

Rainheart's ears snapped back in anger. "I was _grieving_ my _sister_!"

"Mouseleap lost a sister too," Wolfmask retorted. "We all lost somebody! But none of us struggled to keep up with our duties."

Outrage made Rainheart's head spin. "So I'm not allowed to grieve my lost Clanmates ever?"

"Of course you are!" Wolfmask snapped, irritation equal to Rainheart's evident in every hair on his body. "But you're not allowed to let that grief get in the way of serving your Clan. You took an oath before StarClan, Rainheart. We need to know we can rely on you during the hard times as well as the easy times. And right now, we don't fully trust you not to fall apart if anything else happens."

Rainheart didn't have an answer to that, just sat there glaring at his once mentor coldly.

The deputy's gaze softened. "I'm sorry, Rainheart, but until we're sure you're not gonna have any other _episodes_ , you're going to have to wait to get an apprentice."

With that, the gray tabby tom walked away, back to where the senior warriors were waiting for him to return. Rainheart noticed that most of the Clan was already gathered, with Orchidfur and Beetlewing standing aside their three kits at the front of the Clan.

"I don't understand," Blossomkit mewed. "We're exactly the same age as those three, why do _they_ get to go first?"

"Because Maizestar already has mentors picked out for them," Owlflight answered, his voice not entire certain. "I think he has your mentors picked out too, but he has to inform them first. Besides, you don't want to be named at the exact same time as _them_ , do you? You want your own ceremony tomorrow?"

"That's true," Bubblekit said.

Maizestar padded out of his den then, and leaped onto the Tallrock giving a meeting call as he did. It was needless. Most of the Clan was already gathered. Rainheart quickly sat himself next to Brightwillow and Sparrowclaw, watching the ceremony with interest tainted by jealousy.

"Today we gather to name three new apprentices. Every day our Clan is growing stronger, with more warriors and apprentices than we've had before. StarClan has certainly blessed WindClan after we have lost so many."

He held his head high and began the ceremony. "Redkit, from this moment until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Redpaw. Pineclaw, you are a skilled runner, and one who has a vast knowledge of the underground tunnels. I entrust Redpaw's training to you, as your new apprentice."

Redpaw bounced forward, leaning up to touch noses with Pineclaw before the two stepped aside and Maizestar continued. "Peachkit," he said. "From this moment on you shall be known as Peachpaw. Leapwind, you are one of my most skilled senior warriors. You passed on traits of wisdom, kindness, and thoughtfulness to your previous apprentices, Lilypool and Brightwillow. I believe you will be a good teacher to Peachpaw, and I ask you pass on everything you know to her."

Once more, Maizestar patiently waited as the new mentor and apprentice stepped aside. Peachpaw's eyes were bright, and Rainheart understood. Leapwind was one of the Clan's most senior warriors, and all that Maizestar had said about her skills and wisdom were true. Peachpaw was pretty lucky to have been assigned to her.

Finally, Maizestar turned to the last apprentice. "Cherrykit, from this moment forward, you shall be known as Cherrypaw. Mouseleap, you were trained by Pale-eyes, and Nightspots. I know that both she-cats taught you well, giving you skills of empathy and determination. Pass these on to your first apprentice, Cherrypaw."

Rainheart watched jealously as his sister stepped forward, accepting her new apprentice with a touch of her nose. He knew he ought to be happy for her, and mostly he was. He still couldn't help but feel left out, having grown up with her, trained with her, buried their sister with her…it felt wrong to watch her move on to the next step without him.

Maizestar turned to address the Clan again. "Tomorrow, we will address three new apprentices being named," he meowed. "And now is the time I must address one of our members. Marjorie," he said. "After these moons, you have seen life in WindClan, and witnessed the bond that can form between Clanmates. We have seen what an asset you could be, and you have seen what benefits you could gain from choosing to stay. You are fee to join WindClan, if that is your choice."

Marjorie hesitated, looking between Owlflight and her kits. All three of the little she-cats were nodding eagerly at their mother, and although Owlflight didn't so much as nod, his eyes were unusually bright.

At last the barncat replied, "I appreciate the offer, and I can't say I would mind being closer to my kits. After the fire, I saw how each of you supported one another, building each other up to make the Clan strong. However, I also saw how dangerous Clan life can be. I know my mate and kits will be strong enough to handle it, but I cannot say that I will be the same. After tomorrow, I will want to return to my barn, where I will not have to face the dangers, and potentially fail my Clanmates."

"Of course," Maizestar said with a dip of his head. "And you are free to visit any time you wish."

"Same to you all," Marjorie answered, clearly relieved. "I'm sure Kevin- I mean Toadkit, wouldn't mind seeing his old Clanmates every now and again."

The Clan began to break up then, with some warriors going back to work while others went directly to the fresh-kill pile.

"Rainheart," said a familiar voice, one that made his heart soar. He whirled around staring at Gorsebreeze in delight. "Can I talk to you?"

"O-of course," he said, padding after her. They didn't go all the way up the glade again, but they padded a little ways out of earshot from the rest of the camp and sat together. "What's up?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, eyes brimming. "More than fine! I'm- well, how are you, first?"

Confused, Rainheart tilted his head. "I'm okay I guess. A little upset that Mouseleap became a mentor before me, but you know I guess that happens sometimes."

"Maybe we just have a different path," Gorsebreeze said, still in that misty voice that had Rainheart more confused.

"What do you mean?"

She looked at him. "I'm expecting kits," she told him, her voice soft already.

Shock filled Rainheart to the core. "Wow! Really? Are you sure?"

Gorsebreeze's smile filled her entire face. "I saw Auburnmist this morning," she explained in a rush. "I thought it might be too soon to tell, but Auburnmist said that she could tell for sure that I am!"

"That's wonderful!" Rainheart said, jumping up and pressing his face to Gorsebreeze's, licking her profusely. All the jealousy he'd felt towards his sister evaporated into thin air. Of course he wasn't a mentor yet. He was going to be something much more. He was going to be a father. "I'm so happy!"

"Really?" Gorsebreeze asked, her voice wavering. "You don't think it's too soon?"

"No I don't!" he said excitedly. "Sure, we're young, but so are Orchidfur and Beetlewing, and their kits are already apprentices! That just means you'll be stronger during birth."

"I'm so glad you're happy," she said nervously. "I was afraid you'd be upset."

"No way!" he answered. "I couldn't be happier, really. You're going to be the perfect mother."

"I don't know about _that,_ " she laughed in response. "But I think together we can figure it out."

"You bet!" he replied. "Have you told anyone?"

"Only you," she said. "I figured we could tell them together."

"Okay!" he said.

Together the two cats padded in to camp. Mouseleap was just leading her apprentice out. It was awfully late, Rainheart thought, but perhaps they were going to get bedding for her.

"Mouseleap!" he called. His sister froze, looking at Rainheart dubiously. "Gorsebreeze is expecting my kits!"

Relief painted her expression, immediately replaced by joy. "That's wonderful!" she said. "I'm so happy for you both!"

"Thanks," Gorsebreeze said, but Rainheart was already moving on to the next group of cats.

"Did somebody say kits?" Smallscratch asked, looking around.

"Yes," Rainheart said. "Gorsebreeze is expecting mine."

"What good news," Smallscratch said. "I'll go tell Galecoal and Thorntooth!"

"Kits?" Bluedapple asked, padding forward. "Already Rainheart?"

"Yes," he answered excitedly. "I couldn't be happier."

"Well," Bluedapple said. "Then I'm happy for you. Good luck."

"Yeah," Sedgeclaw addressed Gorsebreeze, wobbling forward. The she-cat was fit to burst she was wide with her own litter. "You're gonna need it."

There was general laughter and excitement as the news spread around. Tigerwhisker and Flamethistle guffawed when Houndwhisker told them, but they too were pleased for the new parents-to-be. Brightwillow and Smilecloud sat with Gorsebreeze discussing all kinds of things about the unborn litter, guessing at how many kits she would have and if they would look more like Rainheart or their mother.

"So when will you be moving into the nursery?" Forestheart asked, joining the clustered she-cats around Gorsebreeze.

"Auburnmist says I can wait a little while yet," Gorsebreeze answered happily. "I have a while to go before I'm ready to kit! I think I'll wait until after Sedgeclaw's kitted."

"That might be nice," Smilecloud said. "Give her some space in her final stages before the kits are born."

"And plenty of room for Maizestar just after," Brightwillow added with a giggle.

Rainheart frowned. "Are you going to be able to keep up with warrior duties while you're pregnant?" he asked.

Gorsebreeze shot him the dirtiest look he'd gotten from her since before they were friends. Still, there was humor in it nonetheless. "I think I'll be fine," she said. "She-cats are stronger than you think!"

"I know, I know," he said. "Especially you. I'm just worried about you and them, that's all."

"It's okay," she purred, leaning into him.

"Rainheart," Brightwillow said. "Many she-cats have done this before."

"Yeah," Smilecloud added. "The hardest part is the actual kitting, and very rarely does that go wrong."

"Do you think?" he murmured.

"I do," she responded. "And Gorsebreeze is stronger than she looks, which is saying something!"


	34. Chapter 32

...please don't hate me. and feel free to review your thoughts.

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Rainheart padded out of the camp behind Leapwind and Peachpaw. They were going to be doing a standard hunting patrol. Of course Peachpaw knew little to nothing about actually hunting, but Leapwind wanted her to at least see the method in action. Rainheart didn't blame her. Already the training area was taken over by Beetlewing and Brightwillow, and their apprentices Flutterpaw and Blossompaw respectively. It would be a little too full to get everyone in there at once.

They padded carefully upwind from the camp and training area. "So Peachpaw," Leapwind began. "You can see that we travelled away from camp in a very specific direction. Why do you think that is?"

The apprentice tilted her head back. "Because there are less cats here?" she guessed.

"No," Leapwind said. "Tell me what you can smell here?"

Peachpaw sniffed experimentally. "Rabbit?"

"That's true," Leapwind said patiently. "But sometimes what you _do_ smell is as important as what you _don't_."

The apprentice nodded, sniffing again. She looked around confused and shrugged. "I don't smell any of our Clanmates," she said after a moment.

"That's right," Leapwind said. "We're upwind from the camp, so we don't smell them as easily. And you know those rabbits? They don't smell our Clanmates either."

Peachpaw's eyes lit up with understanding. "So we're here because the rabbits will come here to get away from the Clan smells!"

"Yes," Leapwind answered. "Now Rainheart and I are going to show you the perfect rabbit hunting techniques. And hopefully, at the end of this day, you will have caught your first rabbit!"

They spent the better part of the morning focusing on the rabbit crouch. Rainheart gave them all a good laugh when he stumbled just before making the perfect catch. He literally stumbled into the rabbit.

"Now that's a way _not_ to go rabbit hunting!" he joked.

The rabbit hunt continued. It took a good amount of time for Peachpaw to get the hang of the crouch, and then some more time practicing the stalking. She had several near misses, where she just missed getting the catch. Despite this, she didn't give up her enthusiasm, and continued to try each time she was given the opportunity.

In the end, Rainheart and Leapwind tag-teamed the hunt with her. Rabbit-catching was not an easy task. In fact, the majority of Rainheart's training had focused on the chase. So when he gave chase, shepherding the rabbit towards the apprentice, it was incredibly promising when Peachpaw ducked in the new direction, giving a world class pounce that landed her directly on their query.

"Good job!" Leapwind praised. "That was a wonderful catch Peachpaw! We'll make a rabbiter out of you yet!"

The apprentice purred at the compliment.

After gathering their catches together, Leapwind lead the patrol back in the direction of camp. Rainheart was looking forward to finding Gorsebreeze and giving her a large, juicy rabbit to munch on. She would need strength to continue carrying their kits until birth. Excitement fluttered from his ears to his tailtip. He couldn't wait to meet his future kits!

Leapwind pushed her way first into camp, and Rainheart stepped back to let Peachpaw through when he heard it. A bloodcurdling wail, one that made his fur stand on end immediately. Cats don't make that kind of noise unless their in an extreme amount of pain.

His first thought was that Sedgeclaw's kits must be coming in a bad way. He pushed his way into the camp, bursting through the entrance and looking around fearfully.

The sight that greeted him made his heart stop, and his brain shut down entirely.

Bluedapple circled in the middle of the camp. In fact, most if not all of the warriors were gathered in the center of the camp. They were all huddled around one bloody shape. One of their Clanmates must have been attacked. Leapwind was the one who had yowled, in apparent horror at the sight. It took Rainheart a long moment to process that the shape he was seeing was Gorsebreeze.

" _Noo!_ " he screeched. He was unaware of racing forward, unaware of the time that passed as he moved. One moment he was standing at the camp entrance baffled, the next he was pressing his face into her unusually still side. " _Gorsebreeze, no!_ ".

His heart ached as he began nudging her. She wasn't moving in response, did not so much as twitch. Blood coated her fur, from a nasty wound at the base of her through down her flanks. Panic filled him at the sight of the wound. Cats don't survive wounds like that.

"Gorsebreeze!" he called, shaking her. "Wake up!"

"Rainheart," Bluedapple said, her voice wavering. He ignored her.

"Please!" he said. "Somebody get Auburnmist!"

Peachpaw shifted her paws nervously. "I'll get her," she murmured, disappearing off in the direction of the medicine den.

"What happened?" Leapwind asked quietly in the background.

"She was on patrol with us," Wolfmask explained. "It was simple, really. Just a quick check of the ShadowClan border. I didn't want her doing anything too strenuous…" he trailed off, looking sadly at Gorsebreeze. Rainheart didn't care about any of that. He just wanted to know that his love would be all right.

"A fox came," Pineclaw continued the story. "We had no warning. We tried to get it away from her and Redpaw, but with just the two of us, there wasn't much we could do."

Rainheart's blood ran cold. That was where they'd found Saborpaw when he'd left the camp as a kit. They'd run into a fox then too. But he'd though Maizestar had chased it off the territory!

"Somebody help her!" he said, turning sharply and finding himself face to face with the medicine cat. "Save her!" he pleaded.

"I can't," Auburnmist answered in a whisper. "Rainheart…she's gone."

Rainheart felt as if the life had been sucked out of him. His precious Gorsebreeze, who made his heart beat in ways he didn't think was possible, was gone? For good? His grief was almost overwhelming, but another thought pounded life into his body again.

"Our kits!" he breathed. "You have to save our kits!"

"Rainheart," Auburnmist said, voice unusually gentle. "Your kits can't be saved."

He protested, "But the fox didn't get them! Help them!"

He had never seen such raw grief tear into anybody's features like this before. Auburnmist's eyes watered. "They died with her," she explained. It wasn't a sob, but it was definitely an emotional moment for her.

Not for Rainheart though. He was too numb. He wasn't sure he'd ever feel anything ever again. He looked at his mate's brown tabby fur. Her belly had not yet developed much more than what could be perceived as a little pudginess. Then his eyes wandered around. He could see Bluedapple looking at him, Peachpaw's head bowed in grief behind her.

 _Why StarClan?_ he asked in his head, heart aching beyond what he'd ever endured before.

There was a sound from beside the nursery. Sedgeclaw let out a sharp gasp, her eyes clenching as if she were in pain.

"Sedgeclaw?" Leapwind asked, eyes widening in concern.

"The kits are coming!" she gasped, looking up. Auburnmist was by her side in a moment, guiding her into the nursery with gentle words.

Abruptly it was all too much for Rainheart. The sound of Sedgeclaw's painful moans, the pity in his Clanmates eyes trained on him, the smell of death already on Gorsebreeze's fur…he was unable to bear it all. It was too much.

Rainheart twisted, his paws digging into the ground beneath him and took off, sprinting through the camp entrance and racing as hard as his paws would let him away, away from the camp, away from his mate's blood caked to her fur, away from the subtle roundness to her tummy that would have been his kits, away from the tearing grief that ripped out his heart.


	35. Chapter 33

You'll have to forgive me for forgetting last week's update. My life is one giant mess, preparing for graduate school, getting my wedding together, and working two jobs. I don't exactly have a ton of brainpower right now when it comes to writing v_v However, I have finished the first half of The Scarlet Omen, and I hope you like it! Working now on the second half! (You know what that means, right? We're halfway through!) Enjoy this update and feel free to leave a review!

* * *

Rainheart had no idea where his paws were carrying him at first. All he knew was this his feet blasted past the WindClan scent markers, propelling him forward faster than when he'd ran for his life.

He raced into the sunset, and it wasn't until he was already standing outside the Mothermouth that he realized his destination. He didn't stop to say a prayer, didn't do anything more than race down the underground pathways until he stood before the stone, three tail-lengths high and broad enough to conceal a hidden intruder.

"Come back to me!" he pleaded in a whisper, pressing his nose against the cold stone.

He did not fall asleep, like last time. In fact at first he thought nothing was happening at all. Instead he felt coldness all around him.

"Don't leave me!" he shouted into the darkness.

Suddenly warmth enveloped him, as if a cat was pressing against him. The smell that wafted over him was not the one he wanted, nor one he expected, but one that made his mind stop racing and his inside stop aching with grief. He closed his eyes, drawing in the familiar scent deeply.

"Pearlshine…" he breathed.

Her voice whispered, as if being carried on the wind. "Let her go, Rainheart…"

"No," he moaned. "I can't."

But Pearlshine's scent was already fading, the warmth already receding, but it wasn't leaving. It was going into him, warming him. Filling him.

"Let her go…"

Rainheart snapped his eyes open into darkness. The Moonstone had gone out, and he was left with cold and darkness. Pearlshine's scent was gone, and the warmth she'd brought with her was no longer there. Only the barest hint of it remained, giving him the strength he needed to stand up and turn away from the stone.

It took him a good amount of time to find the exit, but he wasn't really trying all that hard. Once he had, he trudged upward, not pressing forward at any reasonably fast pace, but taking his time, dwelling on the memory of his sister's scent and her voice, so close but so far away.

By the time he found the Mothermouth, it was already dawn. The sun had not yet risen, but streaks of pink filled the sky from where it would soon appear. He took a deep breath, looking up at the sky and feeling all that grief in his heart. It was no longer so sharp, but rather dull, like a deep void in his chest.

"Rainheart!" a voice called. He turned to see his mother running towards him, with Wolfmask not far behind.

He turned toward them, meeting them as they approached. There was caution and grief in his Bluedapple's, but it was Wolfmask who spoke first.

"We've been looking for you."

Rainheart faced his once mentor. Looking into his amber eyes, Rainheart knew without knowing how that this cat was not his father. It was almost sad. Wolfmask could have been a good father to him.

"Please come back," his mother pleaded. "The Clan needs you."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes against the deep pain in his heart. He opened them. "I want to."

…

It was still morning when they pushed their way into the camp. Not early, but not yet sunhigh. There was cool breeze that flowed from the high end of the camp, ruffling Rainheart's fur.

Gorsebreeze's body was not still there. Rainheart was grateful. That meant he didn't have to look at her anymore.

The Clan was active, but muted. The grief from their massive lost was heavy in the air. But there was another air too. One of hesitant excitement. Of new life.

Sedgeclaw must have kitted.

Maizestar sat outside the nursery, head tall and eyes gleaming with pride. His golden fur shone in the sunlight, pride straightening his spine. Rainheart padded toward his leader, head bowed.

"Rainheart," Maizestar greeted softly. "I am so sorry."

Rainheart didn't answer, just looked up at his leader with all his grief. "Can I go in?" he asked, indicating the nursery entrance.

Maizestar nodded. Rainheart pushed his way into the warm nursery, giving time for his eyes to adjust.

The brown queen was drowsing, but she lifted her head when Rainheart came in. She'd had four kits, a larger than average number but not unusual. He looked down at the four kits, a small kit with milky white fur, a gray tom, a tabby she-kit that looked just like her mom, and a golden tom who looked like a miniature of his father.

As he looked at the small kittens, the cold in his heart melted. He felt the sadness again, raw, but not unbearable like before. "They're beautiful," he said "Did you name them?"

The queen nodded. "This one's Milkkit," she said, indicating the white she-kit. "This one's Drykit," The brown tabby, her copy. "This one's Stillkit," the gray tom. "And this one is Bronzekit." Maizestar's copy.

Rainheart smiled proudly, feeling his strength returning to him. The pain was strong now, but he knew that soon, the pain would be nothing but a dull memory. He would always miss Gorsebreeze, but his heart would not hurt forever.


	36. Allegiances II

**WindClan**

Leader- Maizestar- golden brown tom with dark amber eyes.

Deputy- Wolfmask- gray tabby tom with darker markings.

Medicine cat- Auburnmist- tuxedo she-cat with reddish tint and yellow eyes.

 **Warriors**

Patchcloud\- black and white she-cat with ice blue eyes.

Pineclaw\- brownish red tom with yellow eyes.

Sedgeclaw\- golden she-cat with amber eyes.

Nightspots\- black she-cat with dark blue eyes.

Bluedapple\- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes. Former medicine cat.

Crowswoop\- black tom with green eyes. _Originally from ThunderClan  
_ _Apprentice- Milkpaw_

Hollypool\- black she-cat with light blue eyes. _Originally from ThunderClan_

Adderclaw\- brown tom with amber eyes.

Pushleaf\- gray she-cat with dark amber eyes.

Smilecloud\- gray she-cat with amber eyes.

Hawkfall\- brown tom with green eyes.

Owlflight\- black tom with amber eyes.

Leapwind\- golden she-cat with long fur and green eyes.

Echospring\- long-haired brown tabby she-cat with wide amber eyes.

Runningstorm\- handsome black tabby tom.

Sparrowclaw\- dark brown tabby tom with lighter markings.

Tigerwhisker\- orange tom with black stripes and amber eyes.

Sparrowrush\- golden brown she-cat with white underbelly and green eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Walnutpaw_

Forestheart\- red tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Beetlewing\- light brown tom with dark brown eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Bronzepaw_

Houndwhisker\- Russian blue tom with purple eyes.

Flamethistle\- bright ginger tabby tom with brown paws.  
 _Apprentice- Drypaw_

Mouseleap\- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes.

Rainheart\- dark gray tom with blue eyes.

Cloudtuft\- white tom with dark gray eyes.

Skycrest\- gray she-cat with amber eyes.

Stainpelt\- orange and cream tom with gray eyes.

Sabortooth\- fluffy calico tomcat with sharp teeth, one brown eye, one blue. Blind in one eye.  
 _Apprentice- Stillpaw_

Gougeclaw\- dark gray tom with black splotches and amber eyes.

Heathersong\- gray she-cat with darker splotches and flecked blue eyes.

Grasscloud\- mottled brown tabby tom with green eyes.

Shallownight\- black and gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Cherryheart\- splotched tortoiseshell tabby with green eyes.

Peachmist\- cream and white she-cat with amber eyes.

Redstripe\- dark red tabby tom with green eyes.

Blossomfrost\- pretty gray tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

Flutterwing\- tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

Bubblenose\- gray she-cat with blue eyes.

 **Apprentices**

Bronzepaw\- golden brown tom with dark amber eyes.

Drypaw\- brown tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Stillpaw\- gray tabby tom with brown eyes. Nerve damage prevents half his face from moving.

Milkpaw\- creamy white she-cat with brown eyes.

Walnutpaw\- shy brown tabby tom with green eyes.

 **Queens**

Orchidfur\- orange tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes. Mother of Beetlewing's kits. **Kits:** _Tabbykit, Olivekit_

Leopardstripe\- long-haired gray she-cat with darker spots and blue eyes. Mother of Hawkfall's kits. **Kits:** _Peonykit, Lilackit_

Brightwillow\- pretty creamy colored tabby she-cat with darker paws. Mother of Crowswoop's kits. **Kits:** _None yet_

 **Kits**

Tabbykit\- orange tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

Olivekit\- mottled brown tabby tom with green eyes.

Peonykit\- gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Lilackit\- pretty blue she-cat with purplish eyes.

 **Elders**

Galecoal\- golden and black she-cat with amber eyes. Mute.

Smallscratch\- gray tom with amber eyes.

Thorntooth\- gray tom with amber eyes.

Pale-eyes\- cream she-cat with light blue eyes.

 **SkyClan**

Leader- Falconstar- handsome black tom with dark gray chest and paws, and forest green eyes.

Deputy- Scorchgaze- Orange tabby tom with darker stripes.

Medicine cat- Yellowblaze- blue gray tomcat with white stripes and amber eyes.  
 _apprentice- Merrycloud- light gray she-cat with orange spots and bright green eyes._

 **Warriors**

Galewing\- lean silver tom with spotted tabby stripes and pale yellow eyes

Brownnut\- large dark brown tom and brown eyes

Sheepfluff\- fluffy white she-cat with big brown eyes

Spottedlily\- orange-brown colored she-cat with black spots and green eyes.

Tigerfang\- Ginger tom with a white tail

Redshadow\- massive reddish brown tabby tom with black stripes, paws, ears and muzzle and lavender eyes

Mistybreeze\- Slender, pretty gray tabby she-cat with with one white paw, tail tip and stormy blue eyes

Holiday\- Pretty dappled she-cat. Small with one golden eye, one green.

Shademoss\- dark gray tom with green eyes.

Duskstorm\- Creamy-colored tabby tom with a white chest, underbelly, two white paws, and dark blue eyes

Morningrise\- golden colored she-cat with white paws and chest with bright green eyes

Blackpelt\- large black tom with two tan stripes running from top of his head to the end of his back and green eyes

Featherwing \- light grey tom with white stripes, a long fluffy tail, and icy blue eyes.

Burntheart\- Small black tom with green eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Shiverpaw_

Skyheart- lean grey tom with blue eyes

Crowtail \- muscular jet black tom with blue eyes

Ivyfrost-Pale grey she-cat with wide green eyes and white paws

Berryfrost\- ginger she-cat with white nose and pretty green eyes, and a large scar across her shoulder  
 _Apprentice- Fogpaw_

Sunheart\- orange tom with white flecks and green eyes

Darkmist\- white and black tom with gold eyes

Strongbreeze\- black tom with white paws and tail tip, and amber eyes

Roseleaf\- a long furred tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Chillsnow\- Fluffy dark gray she-cat with white paws and ear tips, and striking bright blue eyes

Wrenflight\- dark brown tom with a golden chest and underbelly with amber eyes

Sweetbriar\- white she-cat with brown spots and amber eyes

Applethorn\- creamy-golden she-cat with bright green eyes and one white spot on her chest

Flintstripe\- orange tabby tom with a large fluffy white chest and underbelly and white toes with brown eyes

Treetail\- brown tom with large black stripes, long legs and blue eyes

Frecklenose\- orange tortoisehell she-cat a black freckled nose with brown eyes

Glaciersound \- large white tom with a soft gray muzzle and bright blue eyes

Yaletrunk \- large gray tom with amber eyes and a single white paw and ear

Brambleblaze\- brown tom with black stripes on his back and bright amber eyes.

 **Apprentices**

Shiverpaw\- pretty white she-cat with pale gray patches and blue eyes.

Fogpaw\- white she-cat with gray and black flecks all over, black ear tips, blue eyes.

 **Queens**

Flaxenrose\- golden she-cat with bright green eyes and white paws. Mother of Darkmist's kits. **Kits** : _Tanglekit, Dapplekit_

Tawnyheart\- slim light brown she-cat with white and black splashes, fiery amber eyes. Mother of Falconstar's kits. **Kits:** _Sharpkit, Jaykit_ **Fostering:** _Squirrelkit, Honeykit_

Juniperleaf\- slender brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes. Mother of Tigerfang's kits. **Kits:** _Foxkit, Mousekit, Amberkit_

 **Elders**

Streamripple\- brown tabby tom with ice-blue eyes.

 **RiverClan**

Leader- Ripplestar

Deputy- Heronflight

Medicine cat- Kestrelsong  
 _apprentice- Primlily_

 **Warriors**

Moongaze\- silver gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Archclaw\- brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Brindlesnap\- light gray she-cat with green eyes.

Poppypelt\- dark tabby she-cat with grey eyes.

Oddclaw\- dark brown tom with green eyes and a twisted paw.

Wrentalon\- bright red she-cat with blue eyes.

Oatpatch\- brown tom with dark underbelly.

Fenneltail\- pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

Morningbird\- pretty sandy tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

Laceye\- light grey she-cat with pretty golden eyes.

Whiteriver\- white tom with blue eyes.

Snowdapple\- white she-cat with dark blue eyes.

Ivyrush\- dark tortoiseshell she-cat, green eyes.

Sablefur\- creamy white she-cat with brown eyes.

Fawnfeather\- light brown she-cat with green eyes.

Nettleprick\- small pretty brown she-cat with white chest and paws.

Larchrobin\- brown she-cat with amber eyes.

Voleburrow\- white tom with brown splotches, green eyes.

Nighthoot\- black she-cat with amber eyes.

Mudsting\- mottled brown tom with green eyes.

Beechtail\- small brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Dampthorn\- large gray tabby tom, amber eyes.

Iristhorn\- small tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Minnowleaf\- dark gray tabby she-cat.

Pepperpelt\- spotted gray tom with blue eyes.

Shellsong\- dark gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Silentrose\- black tom with white patches.

Flashrain\- orange tabby tom with amber eyes.

Rushfeather\- russet orange tabby with amber eyes.

Newtsplash\- dark orange tabby with gray eyes.

 **Apprentices**

Songpaw\- black tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

Blazepaw\- pale tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Mudpaw\- gray tabby tom with one brown ear, amber eyes.

Tawnynose\- dark tabby she-cat, dark amber eyes.

Brackenpaw\- brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

 **Queens**

Ambertalon\- dark tabby she-cat with amber eyes. Mother of Newtsplash's kits: _Leafkit, Splashkit, Pondkit_

Silversnow\- silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes. Mother of Whiteriver's kits: _Wildkit, Swiftkit_

Vixentail\- small brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes. Mother of Flashrain's kits: _Pheasantkit, Nettlekit_

 **Elders**

Sandpelt\- golden she-cat with amber eyes.

Tanglefur\- black and gray silver eyed she-cat.

Icebreath\- white she-cat with ice blue eyes.

Applefur\- golden brown she-cat with long whiskers and golden eyes.

Mintpool\- white she-cat with green eyes.

 **ThunderClan**

Leader- Runningstar- black and white tom with amber eyes.

Deputy- Flamedusk- orange tabby tom with amber eyes.

Medicine cat- Greenheart- blind blue tom with blue eyes.  
 _Apprentice- Deaconlight- orange tabby tom with white ears and tail tip._

 **ShadowClan**

Leader- Lynxstar- cream and white she-cat with blue eyes.

Deputy- Owlface- black striped tom with amber eyes and long whiskers.

Medicine cat- Berrypatch- gray tom with blue eyes.


	37. Chapter 34

Feel free to leave reviews, and thank you for your continued support!

* * *

Rainheart crouched outside the hollow with the rest of his Clanmates, waiting for Maizestar's go ahead to proceed to the Gathering. It was cold, but not bitterly so, a sign of the changing seasons.

"He's gotta be almost ready now!" Blossomfrost said. Her excitement at her first Gathering as a warrior was almost tangible.

"Calm down," Beetlewing chastised. "We're not gonna be late."

The brown warrior was right. They were actually pretty early. It wasn't unlike WindClan to be early to Gatherings anymore. The last leaf-bare had been less challenging for WindClan than for the other Clans. Rabbits burrowed underground, straight into where the tunnelers were waiting to chase them out into the ready claws of the moor-runners. Working together the last eight moons had brought the Clan closer together than ever. Plump and unified, the Clan was ready to show off to the other Clans all leaf-bare. It was a habit they'd kept up, even after newleaf and then greenleaf had begun.

Right then, Maizestar gave the call, and WindClan surged forward together, entering the clearing with the other Clans, heads and tails high.

Rainheart looked around for his RiverClan friend, but Gravelstone did not appear to be there. He did see his SkyClan friend Strongbreeze sitting beside the strange she-cat Chillsnow. Strongbreeze was quiet, and usually kept to himself, although he was friendly enough. Chillsnow was…Rainheart rather liked Chillsnow. She was very strange as far as cats go. She wouldn't talk to him directly, but would look at the ground by his feet. Sometimes he caught her looking at him out of the corner of his eye, not like usual where her eyes wouldn't quite meet his, but full on staring. Whenever he would go to speak to her or gesture, she would look away hurriedly.

He raced over to join them. "Hey guys," he said in a friendly way. "How's prey running in SkyClan?"

"Fine," Strongbreeze answered shortly. Chillsnow only ducked her head in what Rainheart assumed was a polite nod gone wrong.

Rainheart sat and faced the Great Rock, waiting for the meeting to start. The other Clans were lingering, trading stories and sharing tongues. It was customary to do such things, and in the relaxed late greenleaf air, the Clan cats were content and relaxed in their manor.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there was a call from the Great Rock. Only Runningstar was there, apparently ready to get the Gathering moving. For once, Rainheart felt in tune with the ThunderClan leader, wanting to get things going.

Maizestar jumped up next. His muscles gleamed in the moonlight, showing his strength next to the other leader, despite his age. Next up was Lynxstar, the young ShadowClan leader fitting easily beside the other leaders thanks to her small stature. Then Falconblaze jumped up, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight, visible even from this distance away. There were murmurs from the gathered cats below.

"Falconblaze," Runningstar said coolly, before Ripplestar had even joined them. "What are you doing here? Where is Tanglestar?"

"Tanglestar has joined our warrior ancestors in Silverpelt," Falconblaze answered as the elderly RiverClan leader scrabbled to join them onto the rock.

"What a shame," Maizestar said, voice subdued. "He was a wise and compassionate leader for your Clan. We shall all mourn him." Runningstar murmured agreement, for once his haughty expression replaced by one slightly more humbled.

"Yes," Ripplestar wheezed, having caught his breath enough to speak. "I am sorry to see him go, but I'm certain you will make an excellent leader."

"Thank you," Falconblaze said, giving the RiverClan leader a stern look. "I have already traveled to the Moonstone and received my nine lives. I am known now as Falconstar. My deputy is Scorchgaze."

Rainheart was slightly disturbed that the new SkyClan leader and his medicine cat had made it through WindClan territory both ways without being noticed. He noticed that Maizestar did not seem at all bothered by this news, only warmly congratulating the new SkyClan leader with a nod. Bearing that in mind, Rainheart decided to let it go.

"SkyClan is strong as ever, despite our loss," Falconstar continued. "Our borders are patrolled _regularly_ ," he said, emphasizing the word and giving a sharp glare between Runningstar and Ripplestar. "And we are ready to defend our land against _all_ intruders."

There was no denying the glint in his eye as he looked at Ripplestar steadily. All of the leaders looked on with interest as the old alliance between RiverClan and SkyClan was obviously dissolving under this new leadership.

Although the tension around the Great Rock was tangible, Ripplestar merely nodded. "Of course," he meowed. Then proceeded on with RiverClan's announcements without any further comment towards SkyClan. He announced the birth of a new litter of kits in the nursery, but ended on a sad note. "Recently a dog invaded our territory. One of our warriors, Gravelstone, was killed fighting off the dog."

Grief pierced Rainheart's heart. Gravelstone, despite being an obnoxious RiverClan cat, had genuinely been good to all cats he met. Of course he'd had unquestioning loyalty to his own Clan, but that had not stopped him from extending kindness to all cats from the other Clans too. Rainheart still remembered how the calm RiverClan warrior had grieved with him over the loss of Gorsebreeze and his kits. He bowed his head sadly.

Next, Maizestar announced the birth of Leopardstripe's two new kits, Peonykit and Lilackit. Next he announced the newest warrior additions to the Clan, six in total, although only two of them were there that night. Blossomfrost and Flutterwing sat side by side, heads raised proudly. Although she wasn't presently there, Rainheart felt a rush of pride for his sister's apprentice. Cherryheart had passed her final assessment with flying colors, and the trait that Maizestar had chosen to acknowledge in her, above all others, was her honor. It was a tribute to his sister's fine work training her.

"We also have a new apprentice, Walnutpaw," he finished up. The brown tabby apprentice, son of Smilecloud had Houndwhisker, was not there that night.

"Wow," Lynxstar praised warmly. "It sounds as if WindClan is quite strong! I'm glad to see you have recovered from the fire."

"Yes," Runningstar said, eyes gleaming. "And the illness that took so many in your Clan."

Rainheart stiffened. After his birth, his Clan had been plagued by an illness that had killed many of the warriors. So many, in fact, that for a while it had been nearly impossible to keep up with all the duties the Clan needed to perform. However it was true, after the birth of all the recent kits and with plenty of strong, young warriors now making up most of WindClan's warrior fleet, they were stronger than ever.

"WindClan has fully recovered," Maizestar agreed, stepping back to let another cat take his place.

Runningstar announced next that ThunderClan was strong, with new warriors, but one of their elders had died. Then Lynxstar announced that ShadowClan had a new medicine cat, Berrypatch. Rainheart briefly wondered what happened to the old medicine cat, but didn't have time to wonder as the Gathering was clearly breaking up.

He nodded a farewell to Chillsnow and Strongbreeze before padding over to join his Clanmates. On his way to join Mouseleap he passed Gougeclaw talking to a ThunderClan warrior. He nodded as he passed.

Mouseleap was sitting at the edge of the hollow, her eyes gleaming as Rainheart sat next to her.

"Congratulations on your apprentice," he said warmly. "Cherryheart turned out fine."

"Thank you," she replied, her eyes shining. "She was a sharp learner. I'm only sorry she couldn't come tonight."

"Maizestar couldn't bring every warrior," Rainheart pointed out with a flick of his ears. "Besides, what with the thorn in her pad earlier today, she might have appreciated resting it."

His sister shot him an amused look. "I'm certain she would much rather be here than stuck in camp. But you have a point about the amount of warriors Maizestar can send. And I have to admit it, I really didn't want to miss this Gathering."

"Me neither," Rainheart muttered. "It's just a shame that Gravelstone will never be here to meet me again."

Mouseleap eyed him sadly. "I'm sorry about your friend, Rainheart. Have you talked to his brother yet?"

"His brother?" Rainheart asked, whirling around. "I didn't know he was here…"

There the dark orange tabby was, sitting next his father, Heronflight. It pierced his heart to see the RiverClan deputy now knowing that his other son, who had been his spitting image, was no longer alive. Ignoring the pang in his heart, Rainheart padded over to the pair.

They stopped talking as Rainheart sat beside them. He dipped his head respectfully to the RiverClan deputy and nodded in welcome to Newtsplash. The warrior was staring incredulously at Rainheart, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Rainheart," Heronflight said in welcome, his voice also carrying the surprise. "How may we help you?"

Once he was facing the RiverClan cats, Rainheart's confidence deserted him. What was he supposed to say to these cats? Nothing he could say would make up for their loss.

"Well?" Newtsplash prompted rudely. Heronflight just continued to stare.

"I'm sorry about Gravelstone," he murmured, wishing he sounded less like a nervous kit. "He was a good cat."

"What did you know of him?" Newtsplash hissed. "You're just some WindClan cat he talked to at Gatherings. You weren't really his friend."

"Newtsplash," Heronflight said warningly. Rainheart knew better than to be drawn into an argument with this tom, but he was surprised by the hostility there, and his fur bristled instinctively.

Before he could comment though, the orange warrior jumped to his feet and padded off, throwing his parting growl of "Stay away from me." over his shoulder.

Rainheart watched him go, angered by his response. It wasn't uncommon for cats to have friends in other Clans. He turned to look at Heronflight, nervous by the sharp gleam in the deputy's eyes.

But then Heronflight's eyes softened. "Thank you, Rainheart," he said. "It is good to know that Gravelstone will be missed by all Clan cats." He nodded as Rainheart dipped his head again, then padded off to join his Clanmates.

By now the Gathering was really breaking up. SkyClan had already disappeared into the undergrowth, as had ThunderClan. ShadowClan was disappearing into their territory, and RiverClan was just padding into the undergrowth on their territory.

"Rainheart!" called one of his Clanmates. He turned to see his Clanmates all gathered, just padding away up the glade.

"Coming!" he shouted, and raced off to join his fellow warriors.


	38. Chapter 35

Thank you all for your patience! I'll have you know I'm MUCH farther ahead than I anticipated with the writing/editing portion of this, so we should have available updates for a while. Enjoy it and feel free to leave reviews!

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Rainheart stretched his forelegs out in front of him, reveling in the feeling of his tight muscles being loosened. Back when Gorsebreeze was alive, they'd shared to a nest, but always slept back to back. Rainheart liked to curl up in a tight ball, occasionally shifting to the other side to relieve the weight on his shoulders and hips. Gorsebreeze, on the other hand, liked to sleep sprawled out, sometimes jabbing Rainheart in the back with one or more of her paws.

Now he'd given that double nest to Smilecloud and Houndwhisker. They were cute curled up together, comfortable looking, and Rainheart was happy with his little nest in the corner of the den. It was easier to use the smaller nest now that they had so many new warriors.

"Nice day, huh?" Sabortooth said, padding up to stand next to him.

Rainheart looked at the one-eyed warrior. "It's pretty warm for this late in the season."

"I guess," the warrior shrugged. "Did you hear the Maizestar's doing the apprentice ceremony today?"

"Really?" Rainheart asked with interest, looking over to the nursery.

"Yeah," Sabortooth said. "Wolfmask had to postpone the sunhigh patrol."

"Great," Rainheart muttered as Sabortooth padded away. He was supposed to be on that patrol. Now he'd have to wait for the snobs to become even more arrogant.

Now that wasn't entirely fair of him to think. After all, three of those kits could have become warriors on time if they'd wanted to. They'd chosen to stay behind, even after Sedgeclaw moved back into the warrior's den.

One time, during a late frost, the kits had traveled out of the camp when they shouldn't have, and fallen in the river. They had just barely rescued them in time. While Drykit, Milkkit, and Bronzekit were perfectly fine, Stillkit had been injured in an irreparable way. There wasn't anything noticeably wrong with him, but over half his face he couldn't feel, or move. It must be embarrassing, Rainheart thought to himself, to be drooling almost all the time.

However it didn't seem to slow the kit down any. He could still eat, and smell, and see from that side of his face. He could even hear, although he'd told Auburnmist that he couldn't taste very much. It had taken some time for him to learn how to control the muscles in his face so he didn't bite his tongue every time he ate.

The injury, while not apparently life-threatening, was an unknown with vast consequences. It had taken a while for Auburnmist to begin to figure out how to help him, and even longer for her to release him back to regular duties. By then there was no doubt he'd be very delayed in his apprenticeship.

His brother and sisters should have been made apprentices ages ago, but they fought and pleaded with their father, eventually winning the heart of their leader and having their apprenticeships delayed as well. They'd been diligent about waiting for their brother.

Apparently Auburnmist must have decided it was time. Or Maizestar had grown impatient.

Rainheart padded over the elders den. Since there was only one apprentice in the Clan, he'd volunteered to help with apprentice duties. Most warriors wouldn't want tasks like that, but Rainheart didn't mind. He liked listening to the elders' while he worked.

Today they were talking about the soon-to-be apprentices, of course. Rainheart listened carefully, wondering if they felt similarly to him about the young cats.

"…and he looks just like his sister," Smallscratch was saying, Galecoal nodding agreeably.

 _Not this topic again…_ Rainheart thought to himself with an internal groan.

Frondsplash had been Maizestar's first kit, with a she-cat named Velvetfur. Both had long since gone to join StarClan, but the Clan had yet to stop talking about them since Sedgeclaw's kitting. Apparently Frondsplash had looked just like Maizestar, and Bronzekit reminded many of the senior warriors of her.

Pale-eyes, who had gone to join the elders after the sickness had left her too weak to keep up with patrols, rolled over in her nest and sat up. "Spitting image of her. I wonder who Maizestar will give to be his mentor."

Bronzekit. Rainheart didn't want to say he loathed the kit, but that was only because he didn't want to say he loathed _any_ kit. The golden tomkit was arrogant beyond reason, and the Clan indulged him. Rainheart hoped he got the toughest mentor. Runningstorm or Tigerwhisker, who were certain to be very hard on him. Or Echospring, who had proven herself a very bold, no-nonsense she-cat.

The other three were all humble, and bright. Bronzekit however was just nasty. He'd once called Rainheart an old grump. Rainheart had been extremely offended. The kit was beyond proud of his heritage, and was determined to be the best in everything. He showed off every chance he got.

And instead of chastising him or trying to correct the behavior, the _entire_ Clan let him get away with it! Even when the kits had left the camp and nearly drowned in the river, they had not been punished. Maizestar had said that their near-death experience was lesson enough. Most of the Clan had agreed! Every single cat except Rainheart was wrapped around the kit's toes! It was beyond frustrating.

Rainheart had just rolled up all the old moss when the call went out. Walnutpaw, who was going to rebuild the nests, dropped the new bedding onto the ground. He would have to finish the job later.

They padded out side by side to watch the ceremony.

Sedgeclaw had already gone to join the warriors again, so there was no point in her presenting them to the Clan anymore. But she sat near the front, watching with pride gleaming from her eyes. The four kits sat on either side of Maizestar instead, sitting tall and nearly wiggling with excitement.

"Today is the day we perform one of my favorite ceremonies," Maizestar began, his voice near bursting delight. "Despite the many trials they have faced, my kits are ready to become apprentices and join in Clan life."

The leader stepped forward, beckoning with his tail for his kits to rise. "Milkkit," he began. "From this moment on until you have received your warrior name, you shall be known as Milkpaw."

The newly named Milkpaw quivered with joy as Maizestar continued. "Crowswoop, you are ready for another apprentice." Rainheart winced. Crowswoop had been Pearlshine's mentor. But Maizestar did not mention that now. "You have demonstrated dignity, and self-assuredness. Pass these skills on to Milkpaw."

New apprentice touched noses to wizened mentor, and both cats stepped aside.

"Bronzekit," Maizestar said next, his chest puffing out as his near miniature stepped forward. Even from so far away, Rainheart could see the similarities. It really was looking like a tiny copy of the leader. "From this moment until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Bronzepaw.

"Beetlewing," Maizestar said, making Rainheart's ears twitch in frustration. Beetlewing was a well-respected senior warrior. Choosing him as Bronzepaw's mentor would only heighten the young cat's ego. "You are free to take another apprentice now that Flutterwing is a warrior. You trained her to be strong, and rigid to the warrior code. Now pass these skills on to Bronzepaw."

The two cats touched noses and departed.

Next Maizestar turned to Drykit. "Drykit, from this moment until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Drypaw."

Maizestar was really pulling out the fancy wording for his ceremony. Usually he just pronounced the new name when he announced the mentor. That's what he'd done with Walnutpaw. Now, probably because it was _his_ kits, he was using all the proper ceremonial words.

"Flamethistle," he said. "You are ready for your first apprentice. In your time, you have shown yourself courageous and bold. Teach these skills to your new apprentice, Drypaw."

Finally he turned to Stillkit. This was the one most in the Clan would be curious about. "Stillkit, from this moment until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Stillpaw."

Jealousy ripped through Rainheart as he continued. "Sabortooth. You are ready for your first apprentice. You have shown that, despite what nature has taken from you, nothing can hold you back. I trust you to teach these skills to Stillpaw, and help him grow into a fine young warrior."

Sabortooth touched his nose to Stillpaw's, and the two cats stood together, each looking as excited as the other, while the Clan welcomed the new apprentices. It wasn't fair, Rainheart thought, that Sabortooth would get his first apprentice before him. Sabortooth was _younger_ than Rainheart. _A lot_ younger. Rainheart had been waiting for his turn a long time.

Although it made sense for Sabortooth to get Stillpaw. Both cats had face injuries that could potentially weaken them. Blind in one eye, Sabortooth had to look out extra for the side of his face he couldn't as easily protect. Although Rainheart doubted Stillpaw would have the same caliber problem, it would still be difficult for him to keep up. Because he couldn't feel over half his face, that opened up to many possibilities for problems the tom could encounter. Any serious injury could result in blindness. If an animal got him, ( _like a fox_ ), he could end up losing that ear. A wasp could sting him, or many, poising him and he would never know until it was too late.

Sabortooth could teach him to carefully avoid all these things, as the warrior himself had to.

"What are we doing first?" Rainheart heard, shaking him from his reverie. He turned to see Beetlewing padding out of camp with Bronzepaw in tow. He seized his chance.

"Beetlewing," he called. "Walnutpaw could use some help with this bedding, and I'm due on the sunhigh patrol."

The brown tom gave Rainheart a dirty look, as if he didn't like being told what to do with his apprentice. Rainheart probably wouldn't either if he were in Beetlewing's paws.

"I was actually planning on taking him out," Beetlewing admitted hesitantly. "But if Walnutpaw needs help, I guess we can go out tomorrow."

Bronzepaw flashed Rainheart an angry look, Clearly the new apprentice didn't want to clean bedding when he could be out on the moor. Rainheart couldn't help but feel smug as his new mentor rerouted him towards the elders' den to help.


	39. Chapter 36

Hey everybody! Thank you for your kindness! I really appreciate the reviews, and keep 'em coming! Hope you enjoy this latest chapter!

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Two moons. Rainheart had tolerated this vile apprentice for two moons. He couldn't handle it anymore.

How did none of his Clanmates notice how arrogant the golden tom was? It was like they didn't see the way he gloated over every catch. If Rainheart had made such a pitiful contribution when he was an apprentice, he would have been sent out again. However Bronzepaw was congratulated for his baby mouse. Even Galecoal, who had once called Rainheart disloyal for bringing her a catch larger than that only nodded appreciatively when Bronzepaw brought her the tiny mouse. Of course, Rainheart suspected if she wasn't mute for life, she might have said something different.

Rainheart padded over to the entrance, where patrols met to go out. They were doing a border patrol today, hoping to pick up any signs across the river of their neighbors in RiverClan. Ever since the Gathering, everyone was under the assumption that there was tension between RiverClan and SkyClan, but nobody could prove anything. If the ties between the two Clans were officially broken, Maizestar wanted to know.

He groaned internally as Bronzepaw padded over to join him. "Are you leading the patrol?" the golden tom asked eagerly.

"Yes," Rainheart muttered. The patrol was supposed to consist of him, Skycrest, and Pushleaf. He had not been told that Bronzepaw was coming along.

"Beetlewing sent me along," Bronzepaw declared proudly. "He wants me to join your patrol."

Rainheart tried to hide his disappointment as Skycrest and Pushleaf made their way over.

Together, the four cats padded out of camp and began their decent down the glade towards the river. They reached the edge of their scent markers on the edge of their territory. Rainheart could see where they'd built their dam all those moons ago. Water built up behind it formed a deep pool, where it would be difficult to touch the ground. The water spilt over the dam in a pretty, but tiny, waterfall.

Bronzepaw padded up to the edge of the water, taking a swift drink. "I heard that Wolfmask built this," he said casually as Rainheart also bent to quench his thirst. "With Patchcloud, Owlflight, and Tigerwhisker."

"Mouseleap and I helped too," Rainheart informed him.

"Right," the apprentice said dismissively. Rainheart held in his groan of frustration. Somehow Bronzepaw was _more_ aggravating because of his dismissive nature, rather than inquisitive. It was beyond not okay.

"Let's just keep going," he grumbled.

The four cats made their way down the slope towards Fourtrees. The gorge was coming up soon, but they had not yet reached it yet when they spotted the intruders.

There were three of them. Their RiverClan scent was strong, and they had clearly crossed the border. They had obviously been hunting, and either purposefully crossed or didn't realize they'd chased their prey across. Either way, they were definitely out of place.

"Hey!" Rainheart called, leading his patrol forward with a wave of his tail.

The RiverClan cats took one look and fled. Their tails streamed as they plunged into the water, the biggest of the cats still carrying their rabbit. Rainheart lead his patrol straight up to border and stopped, watching them go with their catch but deciding not to give chase.

Bronzepaw, however, had other ideas. The apprentice darted past Rainheart, scrambling after the cats in long bounds. "Bronzepaw!" Rainheart called out, but the apprentice paid him no mind.

By the time Bronzepaw reached the water's edge, the RiverClan cats had reached the far side. They clawed their way out onto the bank and disappeared into the reeds, not even bothering to stop and shake their streaming pelts. The pursuit, if there had been any at all, should have ended then.

But Bronzepaw did not stop. He hesitated as little as the RiverClan cats had and dived into the water. Rainheart watched in horror as his head dipped under and out of sight.

He thought he heard Pushleaf call out, but he did not stick around to figure it out. Without pause, Rainheart launched down the slope to the riverbank, pressing his feet against the ground and propelling himself into the water.

The current was stronger than he'd thought it was supposed to be. RiverClan cats swam with ease, so why couldn't he? However hard he thrust his paws, though, he couldn't seem to make himself move with their grace.

His head broke the surface of the water and he looked around desperately. A flash of gold in the corner of his eye alerted him to the presence of the young apprentice. Bronzepaw didn't even look like he was struggling anymore, those his eyes gleamed desperately as Rainheart grasped his scruff.

Unfortunately, their combined weight was too much for Rainheart. It had been hard enough to swim just by himself. But from the moment Rainheart grabbed him, Bronzepaw simply let go altogether.

Suddenly his load lightened. Rainheart looked over, eyes wide with shock. It was Heronflight!

"Move!" the RiverClan deputy hissed, pushing the apprentice towards the bank with steady paws. Rainheart followed his lead, copying the strong RiverClan cat's movements. While he certainly didn't move with the grave the other cat had, it was easier going when he had a guide on how to do it.

 _Finally_ , Rainheart pulled himself up onto the bank, clawing desperately into the solid ground. Breathing deeply, he looked up to see where Bronzepaw had gone.

The apprentice was laying on his side, gasping as if he'd never get enough air again in his life. Rainheart wasn't surprised. Obviously the young cat had not expected the current to be as strong as it was, and had been completely overwhelmed by the strength of it.

"Are you _crazy_?" Heronflight demanded heatedly. "What on earth possessed you to allow an _apprentice_ into the water like this? Can't you see the water is overflowing?"

Rainheart had _not_ noticed the water was overflowing, but he wasn't about to admit it. He felt his fur bristling at the abrasive tone. Although he was grateful for the RiverClan deputy's help, he did not think this cat had the right to speak to him that way. What was worse was that Heronflight was completely right. Rainheart should have been able to stop the wayward apprentice from entering the water.

"It's not his fault," Bronzepaw gasped, surprising Rainheart. "I didn't listen to him when he ordered me to stop."

Heronflight also looked surprised, turning his attention from Rainheart to the golden apprentice. "I hope you learned your lesson," he growled, sounding slightly more gentle as he looked Bronzepaw up and down. "You should _always_ listen to your mentor."

Rainheart didn't bother to correct the RiverClan deputy on Bronzepaw's tutelage. There was no point.

"Yes, I have," Bronzepaw answered feelingly. "I'll listen in the future."

"Thank you for your help," Rainheart said firmly, getting to his feet. "But we must be getting back to camp now."

Heronflight hesitated, then nodded. "Do make sure to look out in the future," he said before turning around and plunging into the water. Rainheart watched the deputy swim powerfully to the other side and pull himself out. Finally the other cat disappeared into the reeds.

"Let's get back," Rainheart murmured. He lead the way up the glade towards camp despite his exhaustion. It was incredibly how tired almost drowning could make a cat! Behind him, Bronzepaw was leaning heavily on Pushleaf as they walked.

Once they were up the hill, Rainheart felt he could breathe easier. Pushing his way into camp, he couldn't help but remember all the times he'd come home to find Gorsebreeze waiting for him. He wondered if his mate was waiting for him in StarClan.

"Good grief!" Grasscloud exclaimed when the patrol passed him at the entrance. "What happened to you?"

"Long story," Rainheart answered. "Let's just say Bronzepaw here won't go swimming again for a long time."

"He went in the water?" Grasscloud said, surprised.

"He disobeyed orders," Skycrest grumbled. "He should have listened to Rainheart."

Bronzepaw was starting to regain his strength, and apparently had learned nothing from his recent dip in the river. "Rainheart shouldn't have let those RiverClan trespassers go!" he argued. "Maybe if he had acted quicker, I wouldn't have had to get wet!"

"Rainheart saved your life!" Pushleaf said sternly at him. "If he had not jumped in the water after you, you would have drowned!"

The apprentice looked like he wanted to say more, but thought it better not to. "What's this about RiverClan trespassers?" Maizestar asked, padding forward to hear better.

Rainheart began to tell them about seeing the RiverClan cats taking the rabbit, and how they escaped.

"So they took WindClan prey?" Maizestar asked, looking almost angry.

"Yes," Rainheart said. "But I don't think all of RiverClan was involved. Just that patrol. When Bronzepaw here went running into the river, Heronflight pulled him out."

Maizestar nodded. Though he still looked serious, he did not look as angry as before. "Very well. I will still speak to Ripplestar about it at the next Gathering."

The Clan had gathered around to listen to Rainheart's story, but now they were beginning to break up and go there separate ways. Maizestar was turning away already when Bronzepaw piped up. "What about me?"

Their leader stopped, turning around to give his son a hard stare. "You," he said, "are lucky to be alive. Count your lucky stars that Rainheart and Heronflight saved you from drowning. Don't you know how stupid it was to chase after them? What did you think would have happened if you did catch up to them? They would have shredded you!"

Once his own father was speaking to him in such a way, Bronzepaw finally began to look chastised.

"I will leave it to your mentor to decide your punishment," Maizestar said at last. "And I expect better from you in the future. You've really disappointed me today."

Without another word, the leader turned away, joining his deputy and senior warriors to discuss the situation. Rainheart watched him go, feeling Bronzepaw's dismay as if it was contagious. Somehow, it was harder seeing boisterous apprentice brought down than he'd thought it would be.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "Beetlewing's fair. I'm sure he won't be unreasonable in your punishment."

He'd been attempting to comfort the young cat in some way, but instead a flash of anger crossed Bronzepaw's face. "I didn't ask _you_!" he spat, stomping away to the apprentices' den.

Rainheart felt dismayed. He wasn't sure why he was so disappointed in Bronzepaw's reaction, but he was. Maybe he'd been hoping that, once the young cat had learned some humility, they would be able to get along easier. Maybe even they'd become friends. Although there was no connection, really, Rainheart couldn't help but feel as though Bronzepaw and his siblings were in some way linked to Gorsebreeze and his lost kits. Perhaps it was because they were born on the day she'd died. Maybe it was because it was seeing these kits be raised had given him the strength needed to move on.

However, he couldn't give up hope that he and Bronzepaw might one day still be friends. After all, Bronzepaw was still pretty young, and he _had_ just gone through a huge disappointment. Gorsebreeze had not been all that friendly with him either when they'd first started interacting. There was every chance that Bronzepaw would also have a change of heart about him in the future.


	40. Chapter 37

Bronzepaw got confined to the camp for a moon, and he certainly didn't spend every day thankful for it. Although he didn't openly complain, everyone could still hear him grumbling when he thought he was alone. Eventually, Beetlewing had to threaten to expand it another half-moon before he quieted up about it.

One evening near two moons later, he was sitting sharing a mouse with Tigerwhisker. He was tired, having spent the day hunting to build up the store for the coming leaf-bare months. Leaf-fall was well underway now. The leaves in the distant trees were all a variety of colors. In fact, many of them had already fallen. It was getting colder day by day. The camp was filled with fuzz balls where cats had shed their greenleaf coat and were starting to grow their leafbare coats. Brightwillow had birthed three beautiful kits, and Heathersong had moved into the nursery expecting Cloudtuft's kits. With so many young kits being born, and the promise of a harsh leafbare on the way, it was more important than ever that the entire Clan got fattened up before the freeze scared prey into hibernation.

"Rainheart," Walnutpaw said quietly, approaching where the two warriors ate. "Maizestar would like to see you in his den."

Rainheart tried to hide his surprise. He hadn't done anything wrong, or anything exemplary, as far as he was aware. So what on earth could the Clan leader want to talk to him about?

"Thank you, Walnutpaw," he said, sharing a wide-eyed glance with Tigerwhisker. The other warrior only shrugged.

Rainheart padded over to the Tallrock and called out a greeting. "Come in," he heard Maizestar say from within. The young warrior pushed his way inside and was again surprised that evening to find Blossomfrost sitting there as well. The she-cat looked just as confused as he did.

"As you both are aware, the Clan is preparing to accept two more apprentices," Maizestar began without preamble. "I have been talking about it with Wolfmask, and the elders, and we think you two are ready to take your first apprentices."

Rainheart blinked in surprise. It was entirely understandable that he would be ready for his first apprentice, but Blossomfrost? The she-cat was hardly more than an apprentice herself!

"Orchidfur has informed that her kits are near ready for their apprentice ceremony," Maizestar continued. "She has two kits, and you will both receive one of them to be your apprentice. Wolfmask will oversee your training, and if there are any problems, you should report them directly to him. However given your youth, Blossomfrost, I put Rainheart in charge of your first training sessions together."

"Of course," the she-cat said, scraping her paws against the ground nervously.

"Very well," Maizestar said. "We'll hold the ceremony tomorrow evening. Make sure you're both sitting by the Tallrock when the Clan meeting is called." Although he didn't outright say, Maizestar was clearly dismissing them. Rainheart dipped his head respectfully and backed out of the den, Blossomfrost following him.

Once they were in the clearing, the young she-cat turned to him. "So what should we do with the apprentices first?" she asked. Rainheart did not like the intensity with which she looked at him. Her gaze was clear, focused. Her blue eyes were searching, as if she were looking for the answer in his own eyes. It made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Why had Maizestar put him in charge of her training as well as his own? It would have been so much better to assign a senior warrior to be paired with him, to help guide _him_ in the teaching process to make his training smoother. It was his first time mentoring too! But here was, guiding a much younger warrior on _her_ first apprentice instead of being able to concentrate on his own.

…And she was still waiting for an answer. "Well I think we'll have to wait until the morning after to begin, since the ceremony will be in the evening."

"Right," she said with a sharp nod. She didn't sound condescending, but she didn't really have to. _Of course_ they'd wait until morning! They couldn't very well take the apprentices out at night.

"We should show them the territory together," he decided on the spur of the moment to cover up his embarrassment. It wasn't exactly customary that littermates train together exactly. His first time out of camp had been alone with Rustpelt. But both he and Blossomfrost were moor-runners, and if he was supposed to somehow keep an eye on her too, it would be easier if they were together.

"Okay!" she said. Eager as she was about taking out their apprentices she almost bounced on her toes. "This is so great! I wonder which one I'll get, and which one you'll get."

Rainheart thought it was stupid to ponder such things. They were each going to be assigned one. Who cared which _one_ they got? Still, he couldn't help looking over at where the kits were just being ushered into the nursery by Orchidfur and speculate himself. One was an orange tabby, bigger than the other but lanky. The smaller of the two was still streamline as opposed to bulky, and was a grayish brown tabby. Both looked like they'd make great runners, once they got a little bigger. He couldn't believe he'd once been that small.

He turned back to Blossomfrost to voice his opinion on such things, but she'd already moved on to a new subject. "I wonder if we're allowed to tell others. Do you think I'd get in trouble if I told Flutterwing and Bubblenose?"

"I doubt it," he said. He wasn't sure why he was disappointed. Maybe it was because most of the cats he was close with were dead. "Mouseleap told me before she got Cherryheart."

"Oh, well then I'm gonna go tell them," she chirped. "See you tomorrow!" And then she was gone.

 _I can always tell Mouseleap_ , he thought to himself, watching her go. _Do you see me, Gorsebreeze? Do you see how far I've come, Pearlshine?_

If his lost family heard him, they didn't answer.

…

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" Maizestar's voice rang out.

Following strict orders, Rainheart made his way to the front of the crowd, seating himself beside Blossomfrost. The she-cat's eyes were shining, and she greeted him with a warm welcoming purr. Rainheart only nodded in response. Prepared for the apprentice ceremony, the Clan was already gathering around him. It was weird to be so near the front, as opposed to behind the senior warriors where Rainheart usually sat.

Orchidfur was sitting before him, each kit on either side of her. Beetlewing, Rainheart noticed, was not far off, looking on proudly. Behind their father, Cherryheart, Redstripe, and Peachmist were also looking on with interesting gleaming in their eyes. These two soon-to-be new apprentices were not their littermates, but they were their siblings.

Maizestar jumped down from the Tallrock, beginning the ceremony with eyes pointed in the sky. "Today we name two new apprentices beneath StarClan, further proof to the strength and blessings WindClan has received."

The leader padded forward, taking Orchidfur's place as she backed up to join the Clan, leaving her kits sitting beside their leader. It was customary for a she-cat to present her kits to the Clan on the time of their apprenticeship, although Rainheart had never seen it done so formally. His own mother had left him by the nursery rather than walking forward with him.

Maizestar continued, turning to the smaller, brown kit. "Olivekit, from this point until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Olivepaw." The leader's golden eyes flickered to Rainheart, a quick signal for him to step forward. Rainheart obeyed. "Rainheart, you are ready for your first apprentice. You have shown yourself to be strong-hearted, and quick-witted, each skills you gained from your three mentors. Now we entrust you to pass these skills on to your new apprentice, Olivepaw."

Pride sung through Rainheart as he touched his nose softly to the newly named Olivepaw's. His new apprentice was looking up at him with shining eyes, smiling crookedly in his excitement. There was a genuine respect there, and warmth flashed through Rainheart at the sight of it. This was going to be an adventure for both of them.

Brushing Olivepaw's flank gently with his tail, Rainheart guided the apprentice to join the Clan, sitting off to the side to watch the rest of the ceremony. Both the orange kit and Blossomfrost were positively quivering with excitement. It was quite a sight.

"Tabbykit," Maizestar continued. "From this moment on, you shall be known as Tabbypaw. Blossomfrost, you are young yet, but you have shown yourself compassionate and versatile. It is thus that I have chosen you to mentor your first apprentice, and pass these qualities on to her."

Blossomfrost stepped forward. In the dying sunlight, Rainheart could see her white patches lit up like moonlight, her gray tortoiseshell patches dark silhouettes against the glow. Tabbypaw's orange fur was ablaze, like fire. Sun and moon. Apprentice and mentor. They touched noses.

As soon as the ceremony was completed, the Clan began cheering. "Olivepaw! Tabbypaw!" They were calling out the new names of the apprentices, but that wasn't the only thing they were celebrating that night, Rainheart realized. At least some of them were celebrating the new mentors as well.

Once the Clan began to break up, Olivepaw began speaking. "What are we doing first?" he asked in excitement. "Battle training? Hunting? Redstripe taught me some stalking techniques already!" As if to prove himself, the apprentice crouched awkwardly and began to shuffle forward. Only in his wildest dreams would that catch him a mouse! But Rainheart was more amused than annoyed.

"For tonight, you guys are going to get some rest," he purred indulgently. "I'm sure if you ask nicely, the older apprentices might even help you make your nests."

"But what about training?" Olivepaw argued, looking thoroughly dejected.

Again, Rainheart couldn't find it in himself to be frustrated. Although if the apprentice continued to argue like that, it would make his training life very difficult. "We'll start first thing tomorrow," Blossomfrost promised. "Every warrior needs his rest."

Olivepaw looked between the two of them, no longer looking upset. "Okay!" he said excitedly. "I'm going to ask Walnutpaw to help me with my nest!"

The two new apprentices bounded off together, giggling and carrying on from the excitement of the ceremony. Rainheart hoped they didn't keep their denmates up.

"Well, I guess we should get some rest ourselves," he said, looking over at Blossomfrost. "Looks like we'll have a long day tomorrow."


	41. Chapter 38

Thank you all for keeping up with the book! I'm sorry there was no update last week. I was a bit frazzled. But things are back in order now. Please enjoy!

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Rainheart was not ready when Blossomfrost awoke him at dawn. Typically he wasn't a morning dove, so this wasn't surprising even if it was his first day of training his new apprentice.

"Rainheart," she murmured, nudging him again. "It's time to meet the apprentices."

"I'm coming," he groaned, sitting upright. Although he would have liked to sleep about until sunhigh, he knew that it would be very bad for him if he did not wake up before the apprentices. Stretching out his front legs, Rainheart looked at Blossomfrost. Her excitement looked almost dampened from the previous night. "What's up?" he asked.

"I'm just scared," Blossomfrost answered earnestly. "I'm so young to be having an apprentice…what if I mess up?"

In that moment all his doubts about her resurfaced. What if she _did_ mess up? How would he help her if he was new to training himself? "Don't worry," he reassured himself just as much as her. "If you feel that it's not working out, we'll talk to Wolfmask about getting Tabbypaw reassigned." She looked so dismayed he felt compelled to continue. "But I think it will work out. You're obviously smart, and think about it, you stood out above senior warriors for Maizestar to have picked you. You'll be fine."

Together the two cats padded into the clearing, looking around. The dawn patrol had just left, and Adderclaw was coming in from where he'd been on watch. It looked like Runningstorm had replaced him.

Crowswoop was padding away with Milkpaw, and Stillpaw slithered out of the den as Rainheart approached.

"You're up early," Rainheart said to the young cat.

"Sabortooth has me cleaning out the elders' den," Stillpaw explained, his voice a little slurred. Rainheart watched his pink tongue poke through, licking the part of his lip that was still.

"It's a little early to be waking them for that," Rainheart told him conversationally. "You're probably better off waiting for Galecoal and Thorntooth to wake up on their own."

At least Galecoal wouldn't be yelling at him anymore, but she still wouldn't be happy about it. As for Thorntooth…it was usually best to avoid the cranky elder at all costs if you were a young cat.

"You're probably right," Stillpaw admitted. "I just couldn't sleep. Do you think he'd mind if I went out for a run?"

"You should have a warrior with you," Blossomfrost told him. Then her eyes turned to Rainheart. "Do you think he can come with us?"

Rainheart was heavily tempted to say yes. He rather liked Stillpaw, and knew that the young tom would not get in the way of his training. In fact, Stillpaw coming along might benefit the young apprentices. However, he knew that if Stillpaw was not in camp to complete his tasks assigned to him by his mentor, he could get into trouble.

"I'm sorry, Stillpaw," he said after a moment. "But hey, if Auburnmist is up, I'm sure she could use some help. She always likes a helping paw."

Stillpaw dipped his head. "Okay, thanks Rainheart. Do you want me to get Olivepaw and Tabbypaw for you?"

"Yes please," Rainheart said eagerly, watching the young cat disappear back into their den. A few moments later, he returned with Olivepaw and Tabbypaw blinking heavily behind him. "Thank you, Stillpaw," he said, dismissing the other apprentice with a wave of his tail.

Once he was alone with the apprentices, he began. "Today we are taking you on a tour of the territory. You will see our boundaries, smell other Clan scents, and know the routes in our territory that you will be following when on patrol."

As he spoke, the apprentices perked up, going from sleepy to totally awake in the course of his words. Olivepaw even bounced up onto his toes, excitement gleaming in his dark eyes. "Let's go!" he said as soon as Rainheart finished speaking. The warrior was tempted to chastise him, but held back. After all, Rainheart had been equally as excited when he was an apprentice.

"Okay then." Rising to his feet, Rainheart led the patrol out of the camp. Their first stop was down the glade towards the river. Now that the late rain had stopped, and the early frosts was beginning, the water had gone down again to its usual size. "What can you smell?"

Both apprentices took in deep breaths, surveying the air with their scent glands. Olivepaw made a face of disgust while Tabbypaw looked faintly interested. "What's that?" she asked, looking at Blossomfrost.

"That's RiverClan," the she-cat answered. "This is our border with them."

"Wow," Olivepaw said, wrinkling his nose. "How do they deal with all the stink?"

Rainheart couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sure their apprentices ask the same thing about us!" he said as his apprentice stared at him. "But they're not the stinkiest. Let's continue."

He lead the apprentices on, through Fourtrees, along the ShadowClan border, and he showed them the Thunderpath from the top of the hill leading down to it. Olivepaw stared in aw, his fur sticking up and fear-scent emanating from him. Tabbypaw looked merely surprised.

"Do they ever attack cats?" Olivepaw asked as he jerked his head in the direction of the monsters. For once he looked almost subdued.

"Not if you stay away from the Thunderpath," Rainheart warned carefully. "You see, they never leave it. That's why we avoid the Thunderpath unless we absolutely have to."

"In what case would we _want_ to go near there?" Olivepaw asked. Although he tried to make it sound light, there was obvious tension in his voice.

Rainheart looked at him seriously. "When you go the Moonstone, you will have to cross it. But you'll have us with you, and that's not for a while yet."

As they padded onward, Rainheart thought about the future with his apprentice. Olivepaw obviously had a lot to learn. How would Rainheart even begin? He supposed laps was a way to go, and beginning tracking. The only real way to learn how to be a warrior was practice, and lots of it. He would have to arrange Olivepaw's days carefully to make sure the apprentice got in his quota. On top of that, he would have to be sure that Blossomfrost and him took their apprentices out at similar times, or at least that she always had a senior warrior with her when she took Tabbypaw out. The pretty tortoiseshell she-cat was perfectly capable of arranging Tabbypaw's patrol schedule. And if she wasn't, Wolfmask would do it anyway.

Would they take their apprentices to the Moonstone together? He wondered what that journey would be like. It wasn't like he and Blossomfrost were real friends. They were Clanmates, and now mentors together. But they didn't hang out together very often or anything like that.

Rainheart lead the apprentices to the top of the glade, stopping to let them look over Lookout Rock. "This is a part of your final assessment," Blossomfrost explained. "So take this duty very seriously."

By now the sun had well past its peak. It was chilly despite the bright rays of sunlight. Soon they'd have to be returning to camp. Now that the apprentices knew where everything was, Rainheart was thinking about having them attend to the elders.

It caught him completely by surprised when Olivepaw abruptly called out, "Intruder!" Opening his mouth, Rainheart realized his apprentice was right. He was so preoccupied with his careful planning he hadn't even noticed the foreign scent!

Then he managed to cover up his embarrassment when he saw who exactly the "intruders" were.

"Marjorie!" Blossomfrost called, racing forward to greet her mother. Rainheart was surprised to see that the she-cat was now bigger than her mother.

The tortoiseshell she-cat greeted her daughter by licking her ear before sniffing every part of her. "Blossomfrost," she purred warmly. "My have you grown."

"What's she doing?" Olivepaw asked bemusedly. "Why isn't she chasing them off?"

"This isn't an intruder," Blossomfrost explained gently. "This is my mother."

Olivepaw stared open-mouthed for a long moment, looking if anything more confused. Tabbypaw however greeted the newcomers politely. This was when Rainheart got a good look at Marjorie's companion.

The tom had soft fur, almost kitten fluff. His eyes were pale, though his fur was dark brown. He had a distinctive black patch over his one eye, and both his ears were black. His eyes flickered back and forth warily, as if he wasn't entirely certain of his reception. He had not spoken, though Rainheart still felt as if this tom was familiar to him somehow. They were roughly the same size, and by smell he could tell this tom wasn't much older than himself if he wasn't younger.

And then it clicked.

"Toadki- I mean Kevin!" he exclaimed, looking his once Clanmate up and down. The tom didn't seem to hear him, but did notice Rainheart's staring and looked directly at him. "I didn't recognize you," he explained uncomfortably.

Kevin nodded, then spoke. "Understandable." His word was slurred still, as if he wasn't entirely sure how to pronounce it, and yet it was clear at the same time. His voice was deep.

"We were on our way to visit the camp," Marjorie said. "To see how everyone was doing. I asked Kevin to accompany me."

Rainheart looked at the mottled tom again. He didn't look entirely happy with the way things were going. Rainheart was willing to bed the tom had agreed to go with Marjorie before realizing what coming back would mean.

For a moment Rainheart wondered what to do next. Part of him wanted to ask the two cats to leave, mostly to spare Kevin the humiliation of returning, but otherwise because he was not sure he wanted them in the camp. But Maizestar had given orders that Marjorie at least was welcome at the camp, and Rainheart was not going to break orders. Besides, he wasn't entirely certain that Blossomfrost would back his decision. He couldn't back it himself with only two untrained apprentices.

"We were heading back anyway," he said easily. "You can come with us."

"Thank you," Kevin said, looking distinctly relieved. Rainheart couldn't stop his double take. If the barncat couldn't hear him, how did he know how to answer? And why was his voice so clear despite his disability?

The six of them made their way down the well-worn path towards the camp. Rainheart took the lead, which meant he couldn't see the other cats behind him. However, he knew where they were based on his hearing.

Blossomfrost fell in beside her mother, chirping with clear excitement. "I'm so glad you're here," she purred.

Before the barncat could answer, Olivepaw spoke. Rainheart couldn't tell if he was talking to Kevin or Marjorie, but it was obviously to one of them. "Why don't you live in the Clan?"

Marjorie answered. "For a while, I did live with the Clan. But I was born and raised on that barn, and I didn't want to leave it for good. Besides, the snow season can be harsh, and I like having my barn to protect me."

"What about him?" Olivepaw asked rudely, but everyone ignored him. Tabbypaw spoke. "You left your kits here though?"

"I didn't want to," Marjorie said, a touch of sadness to her voice. "It was the hardest choice I'd ever made to part from my kits. However, they wanted to be warriors and I wanted to go home. It wasn't ideal but it's what was best."

They all fell silent as they walked to the camp. Rainheart carefully watched Kevin, wanting to see his reaction. It seemed like the deaf tom didn't want to show any surprise, or was trying to stop himself from reacting. But nothing could stop the onslaught of information to his eyes from pulling his lids wide in shock.

The camp was bustling with activity. Adderclaw, Pushleaf, and Leapwind were reinforcing the nursery for the cold coming moons. Brightwillow and Heathersong were sitting outside, watching Brightwillows three kits tussling in the grass. Leopardstripe's two kits, Peonykit and Lilackit, were practicing the hunting crouch clumsily at the edge of the clearing, Milkpaw showing them the basic stance with a friendly gleam in her eye. Flamethistle and Forestheart were talking with their heads close together, there voices so soft that even Rainheart could not pick up on them.

At first nobody noticed the strange patrol bustle in. Camp activity went on as usual. Maizestar padded out from under his den, followed quickly by Sedgeclaw. They purred proudly as Drypaw padded past, a fat rabbit in her jaw, clearly headed toward the elders' den. Rainheart decided to take action.

"Maizestar," he called, padding forward and dipping his head. "We have visitors."

As he spoke, the camp fell silent, looking on at the newcomers with interest. At last, Flutterwing burst from the warrior's den, eyes gleaming excitedly. "Mother!" she cried, racing forward to press her nose against Marjorie's flank. Rainheart purred at the warm welcome.

The Clan leader stepped forward. "Marjorie," he greeted formally. "You are always welcome here." His sharp eyes turned to Kevin. "And who's this?"

Marjorie opened her mouth to answer, but before the barncat could get a word out, Kevin spoke for himself. "My name's Kevin. I live with Marjorie at the barn." He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking more nervous all of a sudden. "I do believe you once knew me as Toadkit."

True silence fell, all eyes resting on the deaf tom. It was clear that almost everyone had failed to recognize him, and static tension raised Rainheart's fur as he waited for Maizestar to reply.

At first the Clan leader said nothing, gazing at the Clan exile in mute horror. Then he dipped his head solemnly. "I made a mistake sending you away," he said awkwardly, making sure he faced Kevin as he spoke. "You are welcome to stay if it is your wish."

Rainheart gasped. Was it wise for Maizestar to be making this offer so abruptly? After all, they had sent Kevin away for a reason and he had clearly built a new life at the barn. Could the deaf tom really make the sudden adjustment to be a Clan cat again, even if he could never truly be a warrior?

Kevin was clearly taken aback. His eyes were wide as the disk of the sun. "Thank you," he answered in a slurred voice. "That's very kind of you. But I am happier at the barn. I'd rather not leave there."

Relief swamped Rainheart. He needn't have worried about the tom after all.

"Your choice," Maizestar said, clearly relieved as well. "You are welcome here anytime."

Kevin dipped his head jerkily, turning away.

The Clan seemed to restart after that, warriors returning to their work and apprentices returning to their duties. The kits swarmed forward, rushing to sniff the strange cats. Brightwillow followed closely.

"Kits, get away from there," she ordered. "Let the new cats breathe." She blinked apologetically at the barn cats.

"It's no worry," Marjorie said, looking with fondness at the kittens. "They've never met an outsider before, I presume."

"No!" little Sunkit said, wriggling her hindquarters. "But one day, I'll be the best warrior in the Clan, and then I'll be able to chase newcomers like you out of our territory for good!"

She hadn't said it in a nasty way, and clearly meant no harm in it, but Brightwillow stiffened anyway. "No need to be rude," she chastised gently. "Let's go back to the nursery and tell Leopardstripe about our visitors."

"Aww!" the kits groaned in disappointment, but the willingly followed their mother back towards the thick gorse patch. Heathersong hung back though, looking at Kevin with wide eyes.

"Toadkit! I mean, Kevin." She stepped forward to sniff him. "You look different."

Kevin nodded toward her round stomach. "So do you." There was awkward silence for a moment. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Cloudtuft," she answered, shuffling her paws awkwardly.

"That bossy mangepelt?" he asked, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Doesn't he get on your nerves."

Heathersong's pelt bristled, clearly upset at her brother's lack of enthusiasm. "He's a lot better now than when we were kits."

Kevin did not look convinced. "Well if you say so…"

The Queen did not look happy. "Well I better get going then," she said. "I'm supposed to meet with Auburnmist to get checked out." Kevin only grunted, watching her pad away with round eyes.

Before he'd had time to adjust to his sister's obvious new attitude, Hollypool was there. She followed a patrol consisting of Runningstorm, Tigerwhisker, Mouseleap, and Gougeclaw into the camp. The moment she saw Kevin, she yowled, racing over to him. Of course, Kevin didn't hear her coming, didn't even notice her until she was already upon him.

"My son!" she wailed, licking as much of Kevin's face as she could reach. Rainheart was surprised by how tall the tom had gotten in comparison to his mother. "I'm so glad you're back!"

Gougeclaw stayed by the entrance, fur ruffled with surprise as he simply stared at his brother.

"Thank you," Kevin said, ducking away. "I've missed you too, mother, but…" his eyes looked over at Marjorie, still flanked by her two daughters. "…it's time we be getting back."

"Already?" Blossomfrost asked, her voice dejected. Rainheart was surprised by the prick of annoyance he felt at that sound. Did the two barncats have to come rushing in, only to be rushing out so quickly? "But you only just got here!"

Rainheart suspected that Kevin was not comfortable being back in the WindClan camp. It was obvious that he didn't like being around all his former Clanmates at once, and his eyes were darting around the clearing with distinct unease. Marjorie, he realized after a second, had noticed this too.

"Unfortunately we do," she said. "We'd like to be back before dark if we could. The Twolegs have been locking the barn at night."

"What about Bubblenose?" Flutterwing asked. "Don't you want to see her?"

"Well where is she?" Marjorie asked.

"She's on patrol right now," Flutterwing admitted. "But I'm sure she'll be back soon."

Marjorie was clearly torn between wanting to see her final kit, and wanting to get back to the barn. Her gaze settled on Kevin, taking in his uncomfortable face and her own matter seemed to resolve.

"I'm afraid we can't wait," she said at last. "But I promise I'll be back soon."

Relief filled Flutterwing's eyes, but not Blossomfrost's. It was clear to him that the pale tortoiseshell missed her mom more than she let on. He padded forward, nudging her gently. "Don't worry," he said. "We can take the apprentices there when we go to the Moonstone."

"I guess," she said sadly, tail drooping.

Rainheart wished there was something he could do to cheer the she-cat up. That there was someway he could help. He knew that her mother's absence was not a void that he could fill, necessarily, but he wanted to anyway.

"Do you want to walk them to the border?" he asked, focusing his gaze on Blossomfrost.

"Oh yes!" she said. "That'd be great! Flutterwing can come too!"

Rainheart noticed Marjorie staring at him, her eyes clear. He tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling he got in his pelt from her look. "Maybe we'll run into Bubblenose's patrol, and they can have a quick reunion?"

"No," Flutterwing answered. "Bubblenose's patrol is down by the ShadowClan border towards Fourtrees."

"Well that's okay," Rainheart said, fixing his own gaze on Marjorie. He didn't like the _knowing_ look in her eyes. "That just means you'll have to come back sooner to say hello again." _Or not_.

"Yes," the barncat said thoughtfully. "I will come back _soon_."

The words were friendly, directed towards Blossomfrost, and clearly it made his companion warrior happy. But he didn't like the foreboding note in Marjories voice one bit.


	42. Chapter 39

The next few days went by rather quickly. There was a sharp scent of impending storm in the air for several days. Auburnmist was kept busy tending to Pale-eyes's aching joints. In the meantime, almost every apprentice had taken a turn helping the medicine cat gather herbs together for what Smallscratch insisted was going to be a "bad one".

Until one day it happened. Rainheart padded blearily out of the warrior's den to see snow covering the camp, falling in thick clumps from the sky. "What in the name of StarClan!" he exclaimed in surprise. It was still relatively early in the season of leaf-fall for snow yet.

"Well," Blossomfrost's voice sounded behind him, making him jump. "Smallscratch did say it was going to be a bad one."

Rainheart only grunted non-committedly. He hated it when Blossomfrost took him by surprise like that. It was like the she-cat was wherever he was. Sure, they were training their apprentices together, but did she have to be _everywhere_ he went?

And today they had to take the apprentices out. Hunting in this weather was tough, but completely necessary. "Let's take Olivepaw and Tabbypaw towards Fourtrees," he decided. "There might be more prey under the cover of the trees."

Blossomfrost nodded in agreement. "That sounds smart."

"Of course it does," Rainheart teased lightly. "It was my idea."

Blossomfrost just stared at him, eyes curiously blank. After a moment of waiting for her to respond, and getting nothing, Rainheart sighed. "Let's just go."

Once they'd gathered the apprentices, the four cats set out, leaving a shallow track behind them as they headed towards Fourtrees. Rainheart dug his claws into the frozen dirt to stop himself from sliding down the worn path to the Gathering place. _We'll never be able to hunt in this!_ He thought as his claws strained in effort.

At last they made it, relief making Rainheart feel a little lighter at the prospect of getting food for his Clan. "At least we'll be able to see animal tracks easily!" Tabbypaw said brightly as they padded under the gloom of the trees.

"Good thinking," Rainheart said allowed, surprised at the apprentice's brilliance. And here'd been about to give up, but an apprentice showed more stamina than him. _I promise to try harder to feed my Clan_ , he swore to StarClan. He tried to picture Pearlshine or Gorsebreeze in this weather, but stopped that line of thinking before it could hurt too much.

"Why don't we split up?" he suggested. "It'll be easier to find prey that way."

Olivepaw and Tabbypaw padded along the path they'd come from, looking around for prey. Blossomfrost angled her ears towards the ridge that lead to the river, already seeming distracted. Rainheart decided to try his luck closer to the Fourtrees, hoping that maybe a squirrel would be around the high trees. Squirrels. He hated the taste of squirrel, but they were useful in the cold season.

There were no furry tailed rats around, but he did find a wood thrush looking for luck near the base of the Great Rock. He crouched, padding forward slowly, trying not to reveal himself to this bird. He was close enough to pounce when he heard a loud wailing scream pierce the air. The thrush took flight in a panic.

Rainheart raced back the way he came. Whatever had screamed like that was not something lighthearted. Someone was in real trouble.

He clawed his way to the top of the ridgetop, seeing Tabbypaw look on in horror. "He's not gonna stop in time!" she wailed, her eyes wide with panic.

Rainheart followed her gaze and saw it. Olivepaw was slipping down the ridge, trying to stop him momentum but unable to find traction with the icy slope. Below him, the rabbit he'd clearly been chasing squeezed into a burrow. On the other side was the Thunderpath. The snow clearly had not stopped the Monsters from going about their business. In fact, bigger Monsters than Rainheart had ever seen were clogging the Thunderpath now, chugging along slowly, but still big enough to kill a cat. The paws of the Monsters were big enough to crush most of WindClan camp. Olivepaw didn't stand a chance.

Remembering the fright that had pushed him faster than he'd ever thought he could when the fox was attacking Saborkit, Rainheart pushed himself forward now. It wasn't easy going. At first his feet didn't want to find traction on the snow, unable to get going in the same way that Olivepaw couldn't stop.

But Rainheart's determination pushed him onward. He dug his hindclaws into the dirt and propelled himself forward, going at an angle so that he didn't slide too, but also for a very strict purpose. He went wide, watching the world around him narrow, as if he were in a tunnel. He went as fast as he could, not thinking about speed but about direction.

He slammed into his apprentice from the side, knocking him off course of the Thunderpath and more along the edge of the ridge. He gripped Olivepaw's scruff in his teeth and dug his paws hard into the ground, skidding. For a moment there, they teetered dangerously towards the Thunderpath. _It didn't work!_ he wailed internally. _We're going to hit the Thunderpath anyway!_ But at the last second they stopped, coming to a complete halt in the snow.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking over his apprentice carefully. The young tom didn't seem hurt, just shocked.

"I wasn't paying attention," Olivepaw said. "I didn't realize it was heading towards the Thunderpath, and then I couldn't stop."

Rainheart looked at the tom, his fear ebbing away. "It's the snow," he said. "I should have warned you that it would make getting around more difficult."

While the alarm in Olivepaw's eyes was fading, the fear wasn't quite gone yet. "You moved so fast," he said in awe. "Thanks for saving me."

He licked the apprentice's head, smoothing Olivepaw's fur. "Let's get you back to camp," he said at last. "I think you've had enough hunting today."

"But what about the rabbit?" Olivepaw asked, eyes flashing guiltily. "It got away."

Rainheart looked towards the tunnel where it had disappeared into. Olivepaw did have a point about it, and Rainheart wanted to show the young tom that he was listening. But he was firm about his choice to return to camp. "We'll tell Mouseleap about it when we get back," he decided. "Maybe some of the tunnelers can get to it from underground. But for now, you need rest."

They padded carefully back up the slope, using the path that Rainheart had carved out of the snow to find grip. By now, they were all cold, and soaked to the bone. Not to mention exhausted.

Blossomfrost had managed to catch a single water vole along the RiverClan border. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Or worse, a dead apprentice. When the bedraggled group had entered the camp, Olivepaw disappearing into the apprentices' den to wash and rest, Blossomfrost turned to him.

"I had to cross the border to get it," she admitted with a wink. "Not by far, but there were no patrols and I figured they wouldn't mind."

"But you left a track," he argued. "Now they'll know you took it."

"Don't be a mousebrain!" she said politely. "There's still snow falling, isn't there? My tracks will be covered."

Rainheart sighed. She had a fair point, but it was still wrong. On the other paw, he didn't want to argue with her anymore. "I guess."

"Do you want to go back out?" she asked hopefully, looking at him with gleaming eyes. "I'm sure you and I could get that rabbit together. There's no way this vole will be enough for the Clan."

"Maybe later," he said. "I want to make my report to Wolfmask."

"Oh, okay," she said. He wondered why she sounded so disappointed. "Maybe later then."

As she padded away, Rainheart heard a soft _mrroow_ behind him. He whipped his head around, glaring at Mouseleap as she padded up. "I haven't seen anybody look so disappointed in so long."

"What do you mean?" he asked, flicking his tail in irritation. "I told her I'd go out later. Besides, we'll _have_ to go back out in this weather. We should gather a patrol, really."

"Organizing patrols is Wolfmask's job, not yours," Mouseleap said readily. "But I'm sure Blossomfrost wouldn't mind going on a patrol with _you_."

"Don't you have a rabbit to catch?" he grumbled. "Besides, there's nothing going on between us. She knows that."

Mouseleap winked. "Maybe that's why she's disappointed."

"No way," he said immediately. "Come on, we already spend every waking second together."

Now it was Mouseleap's turn to look confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean everywhere I go, she's there!" he answered vehemently. "We need a break from each other sometimes. And besides, I'm sure she's just disappointed the hunting party ended early."

"Are you?" Mouseleap asked seriously, looking at his face.

"What?" he asked. "Of course! Our Clan needs food and I've failed to bring them any."

Mouseleap rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant, stupid."

Rainheart scuffed his paws against the snow, feeling a flash of warmth under his pelt. "I know what you meant." Mouseleap didn't say anything, just looked at him expectantly. "Listen," he said impatiently. "I can't be with Blossomfrost, even if she _did_ want to."

"Why not?" Mouseleap scoffed. "It's pretty obvious that she likes you."

"No," he argued. "But I can't. Not after Gorsebreeze."

Hurt like he hadn't felt since the day it happened welled up inside Rainheart, threating to crack him in two. _Nobody should have to hurt like this_ … he thought miserably. But there was hope. One day, they'd be together in StarClan. Until then, he didn't want anyone else. It was the only way to prove real loyalty to Gorsebreeze.

Mouseleap pressed her muzzle comfortingly against his for a moment, then withdrew. "I'm sorry about what happened," she said, and she sounded sincere. "But Gorsebreeze isn't here, and you are. And Blossomfrost is. Gorsebreeze would want you to be happy, more than she'd want you to dwell on what happened to her." His sister's eyes gleamed. "So if you like Blossomfrost, and I think you do, you should say something. While you've still got a chance."

Rainheart's ears drew back, a sharp stabbing feeling in his chest. This one wasn't just hurt. It was stark anger. "I don't like her, okay?"

"Say that all you want," Mouseleap said, padding away. She paused, adding over her shoulder, "But nobody follows anybody around all the time. Maybe you're _looking_ for her."

His sister's parting words stabbed him hard, like a claw to the chest. No, more like a Monster from the Thunderpath and struck him. That big one today, maybe.

Mouseleap was _wrong_. He wasn't _looking_ for Blossomfrost wherever he went. He just happened to run into her. _Which was bound to happen_. They _were_ training apprentices together, after all. He did not _like_ her. Besides, Blossomfrost didn't like him.

But maybe Mouseleap was right. He couldn't deny that Blossomfrost was really pretty. And he did like spending time with her. She obviously liked spending time with him.

Still. He wanted to wait. For Gorsebreeze.

 _Gorsebreeze isn't here. You are. Blossomfrost is._

"Hey Blossomfrost!" he called, turning towards where she had disappeared in the warriors den. "I made my report. Want to go hunting?"


	43. Chapter 40

Thank you all for your continued support! I'm sorry for last week's interruption. I got the flu of all bugs! I hope you enjoy this chapter update and please feel free to review your thoughts!

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The early snow melted quickly, and leaf-fall plunged onward towards leaf-bare. Plants on the moor crumbled drying into almost unusable plants. Auburnmist had all the herbs she could gather, as early morning frosts and killed many of the plants on the moor.

Walnutfur got his warrior name. His moons of hard training had really paid off, but the truth was the Clan needed more warriors, not apprentices. Leopardstripe, Brightwillow, Heathersong, and now Forestheart were out of commission as queens now. They needed nourishment for their many kits, especially since only Leopardstripe's two were weaned.

Rainheart stopped at the nursery now, dragging a fat hare with him. It had taken him nearly all day to get it. The tunnelers were having a hard time getting around underground. The frozen dirt was nearly impossible to dig, and not all of the tunnels were open for hunting. It was making the season unusually difficult.

So Rainheart had spent all morning coaxing this dumb hare out. It had been Tabbypaw's idea to find berries to set a trap for it. _She gets her brilliance from her brilliant mentor_. But her plan had almost been impossible to carry out, for it had required the use of berries, and the moor didn't have any that Auburnmist didn't need. Still, they'd managed to find a few raspberries, which while the leaf was useful, not the berry itself. They'd been old and dry, and some even smelled. But the plan had eventually worked.

Now the hare would make a great meal for the queens. They needed to pad up their fat for the coming season.

Heathersong peeked out. She was _huge_. He as surprised at the size of her. _She must have a big litter inside of her_. "Here," he said, heaving the hare through the opening. "This is for you."

"Thank you Rainheart!" she exclaimed. He was surprised when she actually managed to stand. "This is wonderful. Thanks!"

He nodded, stepping back to let the queens take it themselves. Despite the rather cold mornings and evenings, by Sunhigh it was fairly warm out. Warmer than usual this late in leaf-fall. It was a topic the elders were fond of. And everyone was hopeful for a warmer leafbare without snow.

Yet Rainheart wasn't so sure. There had already been snow this leaf-fall. Perhaps this warm spell was actually a warning. _What if it's a sign?_ But Rainheart wasn't a medicine cat. He couldn't say.

Today was an ordinary day. Two patrols consisting of tunnelers and moor-runners went out to hunt for the Clan. It was a little excessive, considering that prey was running extremely well thanks to the unusual warmth. It ran the Clan thin to have so many warriors out hunting unnecessarily. But it was not Rainheart's place to question the leader's decisions.

"Rainheart!" Wolfmask called suddenly, making the warrior jump. He turned around, looking as the deputy came walking up to him. "Take Bronzepaw on a patrol of our outer border."

"Who should I take with me?" he asked, looking around with interest. Were the enough warriors for this?

"Bronzepaw, I said." Wolfmask sounded a little annoyed. "Beetlewing's in the medicine den with a thorn in his eye. Can't spare any other cats from the patrols."

Rainheart's heart quickened. An alone trip with Bronzepaw was a special kind of punishment. "What about Blossomfrost and the apprentices?"

"I've sent them to the training hollow. Their last assessment showed they're running a little slow. I figured she could handle supervising laps by herself." Now the deputy was sounding a little annoyed, his eyes hard. "Just take him, okay? You don't have to like it."

Not wanting to argue any more than he already had, Rainheart dipped his head in acquiescence. He spied the golden apprentice stretching outside of the apprentices' den, surprised by how big the tom had gotten. They were almost the same size now.

"Bronzepaw," he called, trotting up to the golden cat. "We're on patrol together."

To Rainheart's surprise, Bronzepaw simply nodded. "Okay, where are we going?"

"The outer border," he said uncertainly, waiting for the apprentice to react with bitterness. "Do you need to eat before we go?"

"I'm ready to go now," the apprentice said, standing up. He looked at Rainheart expectantly, waiting for the gray warrior to take the lead.

Still unsure about the tom's reaction, Rainheart lead the group out of the camp, heading for the border. Bronzepaw followed close behind, trotting alongside Rainheart as they went, but not pushing so that he was in the lead. It was weird that the apprentice wasn't arguing or trying to bicker with the Rainheart. So unlike him.

"So how's training going?" Rainheart asked, if only to fill the void.

"Fine," Bronzepaw answered. "We're doing my assessment in a few days." He didn't sound pompous, like he was trying to brag, but rather he sounded nervous. It was like he wasn't entirely sure of himself, and wanted Rainheart to comfort him. It was the first time Rainheart had ever heard the tom sound anything but arrogant.

"Don't worry," he reassured he apprentice, still surprised at the sudden amicable air between them. "I'm sure you'll do great. Besides, they make it _sound_ difficult, but it's really not."

He flicked his ears, suddenly aware that he had never really done a final assessment. He'd gotten his warrior name after the fire. But if Bronzepaw knew this, he didn't say anything about it.

"Stillpaw and Milkpaw are having there's today," Bronzepaw admitted. "We're doing it in parts. But I think Stillpaw gets to have special amendments made for his face."

It was weird to hear the apprentice talking so openly like this, admitting his fears and showing genuine emotion. It made Rainheart's head ache. What was he really trying to say?

"I'm sure Sabortooth isn't giving Stillpaw any special treatment," he said soothingly. "Sabortooth has always been a strong warrior, despite his eye. He wouldn't want Stillpaw to allow his, uh, issues, hold him back."

Bronzepaw was quiet then, following the border beside Rainheart, his tail fluffed out. There was no scent in the air to suggest any intruders. Only the strong scent of Clan cats. A few nights ago, Flamethistle and Sabortooth had taken their apprentices to the Moonstone, preparing them for their final assessment and for life as a warrior in the Clan. Beetlewing and Crowswoop had taken Bronzepaw and Milkpaw in a separate group, to minimize the amount of warriors gone at once.

The time to take Olivepaw and Tabbypaw to the Moonstone would be coming up soon, Rainheart realized. This was a critical moment in their apprenticeship. He wondered what they'd see there. Would they see their futures? Would they see the warriors of StarClan?

Rainheart had a new thought. Would he see Pearlshine there? Or Gorsebreeze?

They continued walking along the path together, an amicable silence between them. Rainheart was too stunned by the apprentice's politeness to notice until it was too late. "Intruder!" Bronzepaw snarled suddenly.

Rainheart's fur fluffed up and he pressed forward, charging until he was facing them. Two cats. Two familiar cats.

Burntheart and Holiday, the two SkyClan cats who had traveled through WindClan territory a long time ago. It had been several seasons since they had traveled through. They looked ragged, eyes flared with hostility, and fur much too thin to protect them from the cold. But that wasn't the most striking thing about them. The most striking thing was the fact that they were each carrying a kit.

Rainheart signaled to Bronzepaw, bringing their twofold patrol to a stop. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Why do you have these kits with you?"

Burntheart bowed his head to set his kit down, but Holiday was quicker. She dropped her kit and snarled angrily, "That is SkyClan business, WindClan cat!" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Let us on to our own territory!"

The two kits were barely bigger than scraps. They were shivering against the cold, looking around with wide, fearful eyes. "No," he said. "Those kits are in danger. Come back to camp for some food and warmth."

His sudden invitation took even himself by surprise. Why would he invite these not entirely friendly cats to his Clan's camp? Especially on account of possibly stolen kits? But something tugged him to want to protect those kits. There was something in him that wanted those kits to survive.

Burntheart spoke before Holiday could. "We appreciate the offer, but we really must get going."

"No," he said sternly. "Come with us."

A warrior and a well-trained apprentice against two bedraggled warriors carrying kits? The SkyClan cats were outnumbered, and they both knew it.

"Fine," Burntheart said after a moment. "We will appreciate a stop for some food."

With a lash of his tail, Rainheart lead the group back along the path, towards the camp. Bronzepaw took the back, officially blocking any escape the SkyClan cats could have made.

As they pushed their way through the gorse, a patrol lead by Adderclaw was making its way out. Rainheart stepped aside, giving space to the warriors as they pushed their way through. The senior warrior was followed by Houndwhisker, Echospring, and Peachmist. The warriors gave Rainheart a quizzicle look as they passed, but didn't stop their patrol.

Rainheart lead the SkyClan cats into his camp nervously, flicking his tail as he spotted Maizestar right away, sitting outside the elders' den talking to Auburnmist. Leading the group up to his leader, he dipped his head.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he began. "But we found these SkyClan cats passing through our territory again."

Maizestar narrowed his eyes, as if thinking deeply. "I thought I gave them permission to pass through our lands on their return journey."

"You did," Rainheart admitted. "But I thought you'd want me to bring them here. You see, they have strange kits with them."

His leader's eyes widened, his glance shooting past Rainheart to the kits. "What is going on here?" he asked, getting to his feet. "Whose kits are these?"

Holiday exchanged a look with Burntheart, and Rainheart realized they were sharing something there. A reluctance to talk. "They are SkyClan kits," Burntheart said.

"Are they?" Maizestar asked, looking between them. Rainheart was surprised to see his fur bristling. "Why travel so far to collect them if they are already SkyClan kits?" When neither cat answered his question, Maizestar continued. "Whose kits are they really?"

"They're SkyClan kits," Holiday hissed, her hackles rising herself.

"Let us talk to Tanglestar," Burntheart pleaded. He almost sounded desperate. "I'm sure he will agree with us."

Maizestar's shoulders stiffened, anger flaring in his eyes. "Such arrogance," he growled. "You talk as if these kits are already members of SkyClan, but you have been gone from your Clan so long that you do not even know who your leader is!"

Again the SkyClan cats exchanged glances, this one of bewilderment. "Tanglestar is no longer our leader?" Burntheart asked, his voice betraying his grief.

The WindClan leader's voice softened a little when he answered, and Rainheart suddenly remembered that Burntheart was Tanglestar's son. "He has gone to join our warrior ancestors."

"Who's our leader now?" Holiday asked. Rainheart could tell it pained her to learn this crucial SkyClan information this way.

"Falconstar is," Maizestar answered. "And can you be certain that he will allow these foreign kits refuge in your Clan?"

There was only the briefest hesitation, but it was enough for Maizestar. "Where will they go if he says no? Until I know more about your story, I cannot allow you passage through our lands."

"You can't make us talk," Holiday challenged. Her eyes spoke fury. "What are you going to do, keep us here?"

Maizestar didn't hesitate. "Yes, if you are unwilling to leave the kits. If you are willing to go on without them, you can ask Falconstar for his permission, and if he grants it come back and collect them. In the meantime, one of our queens can take care of them."

"No," Holiday snarled. "We're not leaving them."

"Holiday- " Burntheart began, but the she-cat cut him off.

"I'm not leaving them!"

"Well then, you may stay with them until the next Gathering when I ask him myself," Maizestar said.

"No," Burntheart said. "I'll go on by myself, get Falconstar's permission."

"I'll arrange an escort to the edge of our territory," Maizestar said. "Bronzepaw, fetch Tigerwhisker, Leapwind, and Gougeclaw." The apprentice dipped his head and disappeared.

Holiday leaned forward and touched his nose. "May StarClan grant you speed." Rainheart blinked. He hadn't thought of the former kittypet and StarClan before. It was weird to him that she would believe in StarClan, considering her roots.

Bronzepaw returned, the chosen escort with him. Gougeclaw was bristling with discontent, Tigerwhisker sniffing disapprovingly. Leapwind was the only one to look really concerned.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Burntheart promised Holiday. "We'll get you and the kits back in no time."

With a final glare at Maizestar, he spat, "You've just given your Clan trouble, old-timer. You'll regret this."

"I hope not," Maizestar answered, but the patrol was already on its way. "I'll take you to the nursery. You can stay there for now," he said to Holiday, watching her shepherd the kits towards the warm, milky den.

Rainheart watched them go, feeling his own concern fluttering in his chest. He had not expected this turn of events. Was Maizestar in the right keeping Holiday and the kits here? Why was he suddenly caring about the wellbeing of these kits, when he seemed to care so little for some of the kits in the Clan? Some of the Clan still had not forgotten what he'd done to Kevin.

A nudge in his side got Rainheart's attention. "We have a hostage now!" Bronzepaw said, eyes shining with excitement. "What do you think Falconstar will say?"

"I don't know," Rainheart admitted. "Probably nothing good."

Bronzepaw stared at him for a few moments, looking unusually thoughtful. "You did the right thing," he said at last. "Bringing them here. It was too cold for them to travel any longer."

It wasn't an answer to the gnawing unease, necessarily, but it did make Rainheart feel better. "Thanks," he said, but he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

The apprentice's ears flicked embarrassedly. "I keep thinking how you saved me from the river," he admitted. "Beetlewing said you were very brave going after me."

This answer surprised Rainheart. "I didn't really do anything!" he laughed. "Almost drowned myself really."

Bronzepaw didn't answer, only shrugged.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rainheart saw a cat freeze. He whipped his head around, finding himself facing his sister. "Weird seeing us get along, isn't it?" he asked, startled at the look on her face. Utter shock masked her features. She looked frozen.

"Rainheart!" Blossomfrost's voice called. Rainheart turned his attention to her, ears pricking as she paced up to him. "I saw Leapwind leading a patrol with a SkyClan cat. What's going on?"

"You can explain," Bronzepaw said, stretching. "I better report to Beetlewing anyway." And the apprentice trotted off.

Rainheart turned to look at Mouseleap again, but she as well had already disappeared.


	44. Chapter 41

Sorry I'm a day late! Having a rough week!

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That night the Clan had a hard time going to sleep. Many of the cats were staring at the nursery apprehensively. Already several warriors had volunteered to sleep there the night, to keep an extra eye on the prisoner. For her part, Holiday didn't say anything, but sat with her tail wrapped around her paws. The kits were quietly dozing in Brightwillow's nest, much to Crowswoop's consternation. The black-furred warrior had volunteered to be first guard, although Rainheart suspected he wouldn't go to sleep even after his post would be taken over by Hawkfall later on.

Many cats tried to get a look at the kits, especially after Maizestar made his announcement welcoming them to the Clan for the night. They were young scraps yet, but old enough to probably remember much of what they were experiencing. The dark, rusty tomkit was Squirrelkit, and the patched ginger and white she-kit was Honeykit, apparently. They had come out of the nursery, obviously curious about the game Brightwillow's three were playing in the clearing. They were about the same age, Rainheart thought. At least they were the same size.

Holiday had been reluctant to let them go anywhere without her. She was never more than a whisker away, one eye always on the kits, the other observing her surroundings for hostility. Although no one in the Clan were openly hostile to her, it was clear that many were very uncomfortable with her being there.

By the time the sun had set, Rainheart was worn out. The apprentices were going to need extra training to keep up with their laps requirements. Blossomfrost hadn't reported good news on their progress. They were trying, but not quite there yet. This was all new territory to Rainheart. Running had always come easy to him. It never occurred to him that it might be difficult for some at first.

At the same time, the apprentices were due to be on loan to the tunnelers. Mouseleap had promised to take Tabbypaw, Bubblenose Olivepaw. But that time in the tunnels would detract from their time on the little track they had in the training clearing. It was important that they get caught up sooner rather than later.

That was the thought plaguing Rainheart's mind as he drifted into sleep. His dreams were filled with pounding feet and a burning sensation in his chest. He felt like he was running forever, although there was no concrete _dream_ , but rather awareness of these feelings in his body.

A familiar, spikey scent, like thistle, was suddenly in his nostrils. Immediately his chest hurt so much more than it had. It had been a while since he'd smelled Gorsebreeze's scent. He'd kept some of her nest lining, but her scent had faded quickly from it. Now he had it tucked in his as a keepsake instead of a reminder.

"Rainheart," he heard, but it wasn't the voice he'd hoped to hear. _Pearlshine…_ "Wake up!"

Rainheart sat bolt upright, startled into full awareness. For a moment he wasn't sure what had woken him. Just that he was not the only cat sitting up and looking around. Then he heard it again- a battle cry.

From the gorse walls surrounding the camp, warriors were surging amongst the WindClan cats. Their sharp scent told him it was SkyClan, and that there was more coming.

Suddenly screeching broke out all around him. Going from total sleepiness to being in the center of a battlefield was jarring to say the least. For a moment, Rainheart didn't know who was friend or foe, and just swiped his paws- claws sheathed in case one of his Clanmates was nearby –haphazardly, batting every cat away from.

It was no good. The writhing mass of cats swayed, knocking Rainheart into an unfamiliar cat. A tabby tom, his white tail already smeared with blood. The enemy warrior hissed, and Rainheart unsheathed his claws, waiting for the tom to attack.

As soon as the warrior leaped, Rainheart ducked. His lean muscles served him well in times like these. Being lighter and smaller than most forest cats, Rainheart and his Clanmates were able to easily outmaneuver their enemies on open ground. Unfortunately, this was _not_ open ground, but rather a cramped camp filled with freshly woken cats.

Claws raked his fur, breaking skin and causing warm blood to trail down his flanks. Rainheart hissed, lashing out and swiping his own claws into the enemies forepaw. He lunged forward, drawing his claws through the tabby's fur. But the warrior did not stop the assault. He swiftly knocked Rainheart's feet from under him by grabbing Rainheart's hindleg in his jaws, and biting deep.

Rainheart yowled in pain, unable to tear his leg away without making the wound worse. The jaws suddenly parted, and Rainheart turned to see Mouseleap tussling the warrior away.

"SkyClan! To me!" a voice rang above the din of battle. Immediately the warriors of SkyClan abandoned their fights and backed up, surrounding the Warriors of WindClan and blocking any path.

Maizestar pushed his way through his warriors, eyes burning with rage. "What are you doing, Falconstar?" he demanded. "Why attack like this?"

The SkyClan warrior parted, allowing their leader a path through to stand nose to nose with Maizestar. "Why have you kept one of our cats prisoner?" he snarled in return. "An unjust punishment for traveling through your land, if you ask me."

"It was for the kits' safety," Maizestar answered in a growl. "It was an act of mercy."

"It was an act of war!" Falconstar spat. Around him, his warriors jeered in agreement. "And now it has been repaid."

Maizestar waved his tail, signaling his warriors. Rainheart stepped aside, watching with anger as Holiday trotted forward, head and tail high. There was the smuggest look on her face that Rainheart had ever seen. The kits were stumbling forward at her feet, their eyes wide with what looked like fear.

"I just wanted to protect them," Maizestar repeated angrily. "I wanted you to get the chance to decide before they arrived!"

"That was not your place!" Falconstar snarled. "It was my decision, not yours!"

Maizestar lifted his head proudly. "They're not SkyClan kits!"

"They're my kin!" Holiday snarled. "They belong with me!"

Wolfmask pushed his way forward, standing beside his leader and looking over Holiday with a look of pure disgust. "You could have said that earlier," he mused stoutly. "Maizestar might have made a different decision if he had known this crucial fact."

Holiday didn't answer, only turned away with a _huff_! Falconstar sniffed each kit as two warriors stepped forward, each grabbing one by the scruff. With one last signal of his tail, the SkyClan cats filed out after their leader, disappearing into the darkness.

By now the sun had nearly risen fully. For a moment, none of the Clan moved, but looked around each other mutely against the devastation of the camp. Nests were strewn into the clearing, the gorse wall torn down in patches around the camp. There wasn't a terrible amount of damage, but rather a heaviness pressing against them despite the dawn light.

"Auburnmist," Maizestar said at last. "Start checking the injured. Anyone who is fit for work, please come forward to receive assignments in shifts. We must reinforce the camp wall."

The cats split into two groups. A small herd heading straight for Auburnmist's den. Rainheart noticed Bluedapple among them, although his mother didn't seem hurt. Perhaps she was going to help their medicine cat handle the wounded.

"Bluedapple!" Maizestar called, getting the previous medicine cat's attention. "Take a small patrol into the tunnels to get prey for the Clan."

For a moment, it looked Bluedapple was going to argue. But then she nodded, turning her attention to those who were obviously well enough to help. "Pushleaf," she said. "Shallownight. Come with me."

The three cats disappeared out the Clan entrance. Rainheart watched them go, feeling his mother's pain for the first time. He wondered how much she missed being the medicine cat, or if she regretted her decision to leave that position.

Rainheart got in the queue to see Auburnmist, avoiding putting weight on his injured leg. He sat down, gingerly sticking the leg out, as Blossomfrost came over to him. "You're hurt," she said, sounding scared.

"It's nothing," he responded soothingly. "Just a bite."

Blossomfrost nodded, still looking dismayed. "I'm going to join a patrol if I can," she said after a moment. "Otherwise I'd offer to stay."

"It's okay," he said. "I'll be fine. The Clan needs you."

They stood there awkwardly, Blossomfrost shuffling her foot in the dust as if she wasn't sure what to say. Rainheart felt a fondness for her in his heart, even though they were awkward around each other. There was relief in him to see her uninjured, give for a missing patch of fur behind her ear. And it was plain that she'd been worrying about him.

A sudden rush of affection for her made him lean in towards her. Her scent wasn't sharp, but sweet, like heather. It brought him comfort.

Blossomfrost's eyes widened, as if she were surprised to see him leaning so close to her. "Go," he breathed. "I'll be here when you get back."

"Okay then," she said, her voice sounding that much lighter. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Hopefully with prey!"

He watched her go, a smile blooming on his face. She was no Gorsebreeze, but Blossomfrost was still special to him.

"Rainheart!" another voice called. He turned his attention to the speaker to see Olivepaw approaching him. His apprentice stopped and dipped his head respectfully. Rainheart was pleased to see his apprentice didn't look hurt.

"Nice fighting there," he complimented his apprentice. He hadn't really noticed his apprentice during the fight, but he seemed well enough to Rainheart. "Almost like a warrior."

Olivepaw puffed his chest out proudly. "You really think so?"

 _I have no idea…_ "Absolutely. You'll make a fine warrior some day."

His apprentice dipped his head. "Wolfmask assigned me to the camp wall near the entrance," Olivepaw admitted. "But I'll bring you prey as soon as I can."

"Don't worry about me," Rainheart said with a laugh. "The Clan won't let me starve!" Already too many cats were promising to bring him prey.

Right then, Auburnmist came up. "Leg bite?" she said, eyeing his wound . "Let me have a sniff."

As the medicine cat bent to examine his leg, Olivepaw dipped his head again and padded off. Rainheart watched him join Sabortooth and Stillpaw at the camp entrance, and was surprised to see his apprentice wasn't all that smaller than the two older cats. He wasn't wrong. Soon, Olivepaw would be taking his final assessments and joining the ranks of WindClan warriors. But definitely not before Stillpaw, who had already outgrown his mentor.

"Nothing critical," Auburnmist said as she sat up. "You'll be fine in a day or two. Let me just wrap this up here to prevent infection, and then you can go lay down."

"Isn't there something I can do to help?" Rainheart pleaded. "I hate being useless."

"You'll be more useful later, when you've regained use of your hind leg per my instructions," Auburnmist said sternly. "Otherwise, you'll be as useless as a blind kit."

The medicine cat selected from a group of herbs and chewed a poultice. Carefully, she rubbed her poultice into his wound. It stung in such a good way, bringing antiseptic relief to his leg by the time she'd finished her bind.

"Now go lay down," she ordered. "No you may not join a patrol. I'll have Blossomfrost bring you a rabbit later."

Rainheart was about to ask her why she was looking at him so mischievously when Maizestar's voice resounded from the Tallrock.

All cats turned their attention to the leader as the cats gathered. By now, most of the patrols had returned with their catches, but the gorse wall was a long way from completed.

Once the Clan was settled, Maizestar began. "Last night's events have proven that Falconstar is not going to be as easy a leader to deal with as his predecessor. He has shown himself to be violent, and spiteful. Part of this is due to a deep-seated hatred that he has had for WindClan since the death of his parents in an awful battle. Another part is his youthful arrogance. Neither gives us reason to trust him."

There was silence as the Clan listened, a general feeling of unease proliferating around the camp like mist. Or smoke.

"It is more important than ever that we stick together," Maizestar continued. "The strong will protect those unable to protect ourselves. Our tunnelers will help us catch more prey than the other Clans this leafbare. We must rely on each other to care for us." He paused, letting that message sink in before continuing. "Which is why I've decided to name new warriors."

Now an excited buzz went around the Clan as the cats began speaking. Maizestar spoke over them. "Four of our apprentices have shown to be courageous and loyal last night. They fought as well as any warrior, and deserve to take their place as a full member of WindClan. Stillpaw, Bronzepaw, Milkpaw, Drypaw, please come forward."

They did, all four of them with shining eyes. Drypaw was sporting a wrapped paw, probably a wrenched claw, and Stillpaw had a long scratch down his side, but all four looked relatively unharmed.

"Drypaw, Milkpaw, Bronzepaw, Stillpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

All four answered with a resounding, "Yes!"

Maizestar named each cat in turn, Dryleaf, Milkberry, Bronzelight, and Stillclaw. "We honor your youth, and your dedication. We welcome you as full members of WindClan!"

The cats surged forward, welcoming the new warriors warmly. Rainheart saw pride glowing in the newly named Bronzelight's eyes, but not smugness. Whatever had changed in the young cat, Rainheart was happy to see it taking full effect.


	45. Chapter 42

I think I should change my update day to Tuesday because something always seems to happen on Mondays. Thank you for your patience and all your wonderful reviews! I wouldn't have the energy to keep going without your support!

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"It looks better," Auburnmist commented as she unwrapped Rainheart's leg. It had become mildly infected after the battle, causing him much grief. "I'm glad you stayed off of it, like I told you to."

"It hasn't been easy," Rainheart answered, giving her a glare. "I hate being stuck here."

"Every warrior hates not being able to help out," Auburnmist said gently. "But you've done well."

Rainheart shook his head. "It's not just that. Being stuck here is depressing."

The medicine cat smiled amusedly. "Well let me just rewrap this bandage, and you'll be free to go. Honestly, you should probably start exercising it anyway."

Bluedapple, who had been on night guard, came into the den heading straight for her nest. She paused though, looking down at Rainheart's leg with mild concern. "It's usually best to leave the wound exposed for a while," she said at last, as if she couldn't contain herself any longer. "It allows it to breathe properly and heal quicker."

Auburnmist didn't look up from her wrapping. "We medicine cats have talked about this many times," she said coolly. "And we all agree it's better to leave it covered at all times. There's less a chance of scarring or serious infection that way."

She shot Bluedapple a look, her happy expression gone. "Come get me if you need anything, Rainheart," she said. Then she gathered her supplies and disappeared out of the den, apparently heading back to the medicine den.

Rainheart looked up at Bluedapple, trying to assess how she might be feeling. "Personally I'd love to free my leg," he said casually. "I hate having it wrapped all the time."

His mother stooped, licking his temple gently. "I'm sure you've gotten used to it," she purred, then turned to her nest.

Getting to his feet, Rainheart limped into the clearing, looking around at the cats as they went about their business. Patchcloud was sharing a hare with Wolfmask by the fresh-kill pile. Rainheart noticed that neither cat looked really comfortable. Honestly, he was waiting with the rest of the Clan for them to announce impending kits, but Patchcloud held firmly that she didn't want any.

In the mean time, Stainpelt was talking with Dryleaf as they finished the last touches on the camp wall. It wasn't incredibly uncommon to see them together these days. Rainheart remembered the time he'd spent with Gorsebreeze when they'd been fresh warriors. Maybe Dryleaf and Stainpelt were headed down that path.

"Rainheart!" he heard his name. Rainheart turned his head, ears flicking in surprise as Blossomfrost came trotting towards him.

"Aren't you supposed to be out with the apprentices?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"They're with Mouseleap and Bubblenose today," she said. "Actually, Wolfmask wants us to take them to the Moonstone the moment you're allowed out of camp, which looks like it'll be soon!"

Rainheart chuckled lightly. "Yeah. Auburnmist ordered me to exercise it."

"Well, do you want to exercise together?" she asked casually. "We could go on a walk."

It was such a simple thing that Rainheart couldn't stop himself from laughing aloud. He knew immediately this was not the reaction she'd been hoping for, as her face fell.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, that's not what I- " he began, but she cut him off.

"I'm so stupid," she said. "I mean, I knew about _her_ and everything, I just thought- No. I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to exercising."

She turned to walk away before he could answer. In that moment, Rainheart knew if he didn't say something _right then_ , she was probably walking away for good. "Blossomfrost!" he called after her, limping forward a little to catch her attention.

He pale she-cat turned to look at him, her eyes showing unspeakable hurt. It brought Rainheart to reality. Blossomfrost obviously cared about him in a similar manor to how he cared about her. And no, it wasn't the fiery excitement he'd had with Gorsebreeze, but that didn't mean it was bad. Just different. Cooler, smoother, like water in a stream flowing downhill. Completely and utterly natural.

"Come for a walk with me," he said earnestly.

Blossomfrost looked him up and down, her eyes piercing into him in a familiar way. Her way. "Okay," she breathed.

…

Rainheart took her to the one place he could think of that might make her feel better. It was one challenging walk for his leg, and very slow-going considering he had to take it one step at a time. But it was pleasantly cold out, and Rainheart enjoyed his silent walk with his partner.

They got to the top of the slope, sitting on the rocky outcrop that Gorsebreeze used to take Rainheart to all that time ago. He sat at the edge, indicating with a nod of his head that Blossomfrost should join. She did, her fur just barely tingling against his.

"Look at all this," he said, his eyes roaming over the scene before him. The forest of ThunderClan bled smoothly into the tall trees of SkyClan, visible even from this distance and many of them still colored with leaves. The ShadowClan marsh, conversely, was stark different from the ThunderClan forest, separated by the Thunderpath. The river cut through the trees like a claw, making its way through WindClan land and stretching endlessly in both directions.

"It's really pretty," she said quietly. "I used to come up here when I was an apprentice, just to get some time to myself."

Rainheart looked at her, not surprised to hear that she'd been here before. It wasn't a violation to him, to share Gorsebreeze's favorite place with her. She did not look out of place here. The stunning view did not end with her, she was a part of it.

"Gorsebreeze showed it to me," he admitted. He wasn't looking for it, but could see her reaction anyway. Her eyes looked hurt, her heart breaking. "She loved it up here."

"You loved her," Blossomfrost said. It wasn't a question.

"I did," he said, turning to her. "Very much." Seeing the brokenhearted look brought the words forward, and he knew they were the right ones. "But she's not here anymore." Blossomfrost looked up at him, eyes wet. "I know she's in StarClan waiting for me. I'll see her again someday. But that's not today, and she'd want me to be happy in the meantime."

"What are you saying?" Blossomfrost demanded suddenly.

Rainheart took a deep breath, preparing himself. "I'm saying that I love you, Blossomfrost," he said slowly. "And whatever I had with Gorsebreeze isn't going to take that away."

There was a moment of silence, where Rainheart held his breath and it looked like Blossomfrost was doing the same. Finally, at long last, she laughed without humor, as if she couldn't stop a small breath from escaping even though nothing was remotely funny.

"All this time, I thought if I told you those words, you'd never talk to me again," she said. "That what happened with Gorsebreeze meant I could never be with you."

"She's gone," he repeated. "But she'd want me to be happy." Blossomfrost didn't answer, but shook her head as if relieved. "Does that mean- ?"

"I love you too," she answered before he could finish.


End file.
